Council keen for community to benefit from barracks facilities

THE potential of the St Patrick’s Barracks site to provide Ballymena with much more than social housing has been flagged up in the borough’s Council chamber.

Town Clerk and Chief Executive, Anne Donaghy, said the development of the entire site could take up to five years and that the opportunity existed through the Department of Social Development for public bodies/stakeholders to make community use of parts of it in the interim.

Mrs Donaghy told last week’s October monthly meeting of Council that facilities already on the site included an indoors sports hall and grass pitches which, she suggested, could, for example, be used “to help ease the Saturday Morning League”.

Members were also told that the grounds, “with minor modifications” could facilitate track sports such as mini motos and that the barracks’ Museum could be used to hold community events.

The Chief Executive sought and was given permission by the meeting to begin the preparation of a report based around the potential opportunities for community use at the former RIR base.

“It is important to start to get community use of this site as soon as possible, “ said Mrs Donaghy who told councillors her report would be brought back to them in November for consideration.

Responding, the Mayor, Alderman PJ McAvoy said: “At least Ballymena people are doing something with something that otherwise would just be patrolled for the next four or five years by security guards.”

He said using green areas at the site for the benefit of Saturday Morning League matches was “a great idea”, adding “you have no idea the crying out there is for pitches”.