fears that broadway works could take weeks

Ballymena traders, already suffering from a marked decline in footfall, are bracing themselves for another potential hammer blow to their businesses.
An image of what the Broadway bandstand area could look like following the Public Realm works.An image of what the Broadway bandstand area could look like following the Public Realm works.
An image of what the Broadway bandstand area could look like following the Public Realm works.

It is understood that the contractor undertaking public realm improvements in Ballymena town centre has issued a notice to various business premises regarding potentially lengthy road closure plans required to proceed with major on-site works at Broadway.

These controversial plans include removal of the existing bandstand structure and its replacement with a modernist equivalent, already dubbed ‘the spaceship’ by bemused locals.

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All streets surrounding Broadway will be affected to some extent or another by the closures.

A meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) will hear various options required to complete the works.

One trader told the Times: “We will have worst case and best case scenarios put before us. We could be talking several weeks if not a month or more.”

A spokesperson for Mid & East Antrim Council, who inherited the public realm scheme from the former Ballymena Borough Council, said: “The contractor wishes to engage with the stakeholders to discuss the detail involved.”

TAL Civil Engineering will meet with affected traders at The Adair Arms Hotel on Wednesday at 5.30pm.

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