Northern Area Plan 2016
Coleraine Borough: Kilrea

The Mercer’s Company from London developed a village at Kilrea following the Plantation of Ulster in the early 1600s. Kilrea now performs an important function as a small market town and service centre for the south eastern part of Coleraine Borough. In 2001 the population of Kilrea was 1,509, an increase of 15% relative to 1991. Situated close to the west bank of the River Bann, it is also a major Irish centre for river and lake angling and is home to the Portna Eel Fishery whose hatchery is one of the largest in Europe.

There have been considerable improvements and expansion in Kilrea in the past 15 years, with extensive private housing development on a range of sites, some commercial investment, and the refurbishment of the public space in The Diamond and Church Street. There has also been a growth of private enterprise, partially facilitated by Kilrea Enterprise Group who built and manage the Enterprise Centre, which comprises 19 small business units.

Kilrea is situated on higher ground to west of the River Bann, within an attractive countryside of enclosed farmland, low drumlins, streams and small loughs. The village is based around a crossroads with a square focused on a memorial at its centre. Kilrea is located 24 kilometres south east of Coleraine, on the A54 route to Castledawson, with roads from Garvagh, Maghera, Ballymoney and Rasharkin also converging on the village. Kilrea is designated a Small Town in the Settlement Hierarchy in Volume 1 of the Plan.

The development limit will contribute to a more compact urban form and ensure that any new housing is convenient to all the village’s facilities, while providing for a range of future developments.