Northern Area Plan 2016
Introduction: Plan Strategy

The Plan Strategy, in accordance with the Spatial Development Strategy of the Regional Development Strategy (RDS), is based on the development of the hubs, corridors and gateway of the Northern Area and the maintenance of vibrant local communities.

The further substantial development of Coleraine as one of the main hubs identified by the RDS will be accommodated. The town of Coleraine along with its near neighbours, the coastal towns of Portrush and Portstewart, had a combined 2001 Census population of 37,500. With their close functional links, the three towns form the largest regional urban complex outside the Belfast Metropolitan Area, Londonderry and Craigavon. The Plan will provide for the further expansion of Coleraine as an important administrative, commercial, educational, health and manufacturing centre, with provision for the further development of the residential, recreational and tourism potential of Portrush and Portstewart.

The Plan will also provide for the continued multi-functional expansion of Limavady as a main hub.

The development of Ballymoney and Ballycastle will be promoted as local hubs providing a wide range of services along with further residential development. Provision will be made for industrial expansion in Ballymoney. The coastal town of Ballycastle, with its modern harbour, has a gateway role and considerable tourism potential.

The Plan area contains the greater length of the Northern Key Transport Corridor and a section of the Belfast to Londonderry Key Transport Corridor. The northern section of the Newry to Coleraine Link Corridor is also within the Plan area. The Northern Area Plan will provide for the further enhancement of these corridors, consistent with the Regional Transportation Strategy, to reduce congestion and facilitate improvements which may result in increased safety and reduced journey times. The Plan provides a framework for development, which will optimise accessibility to these corridors and provide the maximum choice of travel means.

The Plan provides for vibrant rural communities, by identifying appropriate development land within the 5 small towns of Bushmills, Cushendall, Dungiven, Garvagh and Kilrea, 25 villages and 33 hamlets. Individual dwellings in the countryside will be assessed against prevailing regional policy.

As guided by the RDS, the Northern Area Plan provides for the provision of 12,700 dwellings¹ in the period from 1998 to 2015, plus an extra pro-rata allocation for the additional year of the Plan period. This will facilitate continued population growth across the four districts. Sufficient housing land to accommodate the RDS Housing Growth Indicators (HGI’s) is identified within each district, with the distribution of housing land between and within settlements compatible with the principles and policies of the RDS.

The Plan will promote compact urban forms with a high level of accessibility to all services by identifying more than 60% of all housing opportunities within the existing built up areas of the towns and large villages. The Plan will also seek to focus retail and office development at appropriate locations within town centres. Other major employment generators will normally be located within hubs or on Key Transport Corridors.

The strategy will provide for tourism related development consistent with the principles of sustainable development and the protection of the Northern Plan Area’s finest landscapes.

All of the Causeway Coast and North Derry Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and all of that part of the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty within the Plan area, are designated as Countryside Policy Areas, where a more restrictive policy will apply. The most sensitive local landscapes within the Sperrin Area of Outstanding Beauty have been identified as a Countryside Policy Area. The River Bann corridor within the Plan area is also designated a Countryside Policy Area. In addition, the settings of the main towns will be protected by their designation as Green Belts. The Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site and its setting will be protected from all inappropriate development.

The Plan also complements existing environmental protection by designating Local Landscape Policy Areas, Sites of Local Nature Conservation Importance, and Areas of Significant Archaeological Interest, with associated policies for their protection from inappropriate development.

The Plan includes protection for the most valued built heritage within towns and villages. Detailed design advice is provided by the supplementary planning guidance of the Conservation Area booklets for the five Conservation Areas in Ballymoney, Ballycastle, Bushmills, Cushendun and Cushendall. In addition, the Plan proposes Areas of Townscape Character in Armoy, Coleraine, Limavady, and Portrush where appropriate policies and design guidance will protect their existing character.

The Plan will implement this strategy through the Plan Proposals contained in Volumes 1 and 2.

¹Figure as set down in the RDS published 2001. This figure has not been adjusted to take account of the revised HGIs published in DRD's report: Review of the Regional Housing Growth Indicators, dated 26th January 2005.