Carrickfergus Borough Council own and manage open space, sport and outdoor recreational areas throughout the Town and in the vicinity including the Whitehead Recreation Grounds, Beach Road Park and Bentra Golf Course.
In addition, there are a number of private golf facilities at Whitehead Driving Range and Golf Course.

Major areas of open space above 1 hectare are listed below and identified for information only on Map No. 5a- Whitehead. Details of these and smaller areas of open space below 1 hectare are contained in the Open Space, Sport and Outdoor Recreation Technical Supplement.

Policy for the protection of open space is contained in PPS 8 Open Space, Sport and Outdoor Recreation.

Policy OS1 of PPS 8 shall apply to all areas of existing open space whether or not they are indicated on the Plan Proposals map for information.

Outdoor Sport and Children’s Playing Space

Location Outdoor Sport (H)  Description Windsor Mews 1.07 Equipped playground & casual play Castleview Road  1.76 Two Soccer pitches

Existing Outdoor Sports within the Educational Sector

Location Outdoor Sport (H)  Description Whitehead Primary School, Island Magee Road 1.02 Private playing fields

Other public open space provision

Location Outdoor Sport (H)  Description Beach Road Public Park 2.81 Council maintained public parkland

Education and Community Facilities

Responsibility for the provision of educational facilities rests mainly with the North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB). NEELB provide a library within the Town and the area also has access to nine mobile libraries which serve the Education Boards rural area.

There are two community centres and five youth organisations operating out of a variety of venues such as church halls and youth centres. The Department considers that the flexibility of the Plan is such that any need for future sites for community use can be accommodated during the Plan period.