Development of new business facility proposed in Carrickfergus

The proposal by B Crowe and Sons Ltd is for a mixed industrial and enterprise development comprising enterprise units, working containers, exhibition centre, co-working building, multi functional shipping containers functioning as storage and as start-up seed pods with associated car parking, EV charging and landscaping.

The application relates to the redevelopment of an existing brownfield site at 22 Marshallstown Road.

The access and design statement accompanying the application says: “The industrial development has been designed in consultation with Carrickfergus Enterprise to ensure the development provides the units, types and sizes that the likely tenants of the development will need. It has also considered the needs of the current occupants of the site.

“Equally, the countryside location and the need to respect the existing features of the site have formed a key consideration in terms of the design and the development.”

The report notes the current access arrangements will be retained.

“As part of the access arrangements, the design has incorporated pedestrian pathways to ensure workers and visitors can access the site and move around it freely without the need of a private car.”

Community Consultation

It has also been reported a pre-application community consultation has taken place.

The statement continues: “The proposal is a sustainable development. It re-uses brownfield land within an existing industrial area, albeit it is in the countryside.”

A letter in support of the application has been submitted to council planners by Carrickfergus Enterprise.

It said: “We have worked closely with the applicant in the last year and advised them on the best lay-out and type of units that would complement the service we provide at Carrickfergus Enterprise.

“With 30 years’ trading experience at our Meadowbank Road site, occupancy has been consistently high, currently at 100% with continued demand. We believe that start-up and grow-on space is in short supply in Carrickfergus.

“We strongly believe that there is a need for additional mixed space provision, where businesses can relocate to enable them to continue to scale and grow. We consider that this planning application will help address that need.”

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter