Northern Area Plan 2016
Coleraine Borough: Portballintrae (Page 1 of 2)

Portballintrae developed from a small fishing village nestled around the horse shoe-shaped Ballintrae Bay, and has an attractive natural setting within the Causeway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and within sight of the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site.

The settlement has experienced rapid physical growth since the 1970s. There has however been a steady change in its character, with almost all the recent dwellings completed acquired as second homes, and a considerable proportion of the older housing changing from permanent occupation, also to second homes. Considerably less than half of the dwellings in the village remain as permanent residences. The lack of local services and facilities reflects this change, with facilities such as the village shop and post office having closed. Portballintrae now has only two significant functions, as a second home location and as a dormitory village. There has been intense concern within the local community about the impact of the growth of second homes on the village’s vitality. Despite considerable housing development throughout the 1990s the 2001 permanent population was only 771, a decline of 10% compared to 1991.

Portballintrae retains some of its historic character around the horse shoe-shaped bay, with a number of prominently sited listed buildings. These buildings date from a time when the local fishing industry was active. The historic core of the village presently comprises buildings ranging from one to four storeys in height, however two storey buildings prevail. Buildings in this area are set slightly back from the pavement, and comprise short terraces and semi-detached units in the older eastern end, with a greater presence of detached units towards the west of the bay. Newer development at Bay Head Road has sought to re-establish the traditional built form. The Bayview Hotel forms a focal point in the middle of the bay.

Local employment opportunities are mainly limited to the hotel, restaurant, golf club and caravan park. Portballintrae has been designated a Small Village in the Settlement Hierarchy in Volume 1 of the Plan.

In the context of the scale of recent house building and remaining approved dwelling commitments, the development limit has been tightly drawn around the existing built up area of the village. The development limit will consolidate the existing village form. Planning permission will be granted for the re-establishment of local service facilities of an appropriate scale and location in the village core, subject to the prevailing planning policy and advice.

The following Table sets out the provision of housing in Portballintrae at July 2004.

The following sites are zoned for housing development, subject to compliance with the key site requirements and other requirements for the development of each site consistent with relevant planning policy including current Planning Policy Statements and the specific considerations related to the submission of planning applications: