A former military base in Ballymena is set to undergo a major transformation after a housing-led planning application was approved for the site.

The plans for St Patrick's Barracks include the development of up to 140 homes, a £30 million leisure health and wellbeing centre, and further proposals for the Northern and Southern Link Roads.

Mid & East Antrim Borough Council Planning Committee green lit the Department for Communities' (DfC) plans yesterday, 14 March.

Paul Carr from DfC said: "The Department is delighted to have obtained planning approval for the St Patrick's Barracks site. This is an important step and represents the achievement of a major milestone in the regeneration of this site. As well as approving the site as a shared, mixed use, housing-led regeneration scheme, the approved Northern and Southern Link Roads will allow the site to be fully incorporated into the existing Ballymena town centre offering."

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Mid & East Antrim Borough Council also have plans to locate an Integrated Industrial Inspiration and Innovation Campus on the site to arm local people with the skills to compete on a global stage as digital innovators and entrepreneurs. 

Council Chief Executive Anne Donaghy added: "The plans for the St Patrick's Barracks site set out a hugely exciting future for the town. It is great to reach this milestone and move one step closer to the exciting plans becoming a reality."

The Department and partner organisations will now move towards implementation of the roads and access infrastructure and develop plans for the site in more detail.

(CM/JG)