Northern Area Plan 2016
Limavady Borough: Ballykelly

Ballykelly is located 4 kilometres west of Limavady. Its origins were as a Plantation settlement. The development of the nearby Second World War airfield greatly enhanced the village’s size and significance. There has been considerable expansion throughout the post-War period, particularly since the 1990s, with a series of private residential developments west of the historic core along Clooney Road. This has, however, further elongated the settlement, with access on to a very busy trunk road tending to isolate residents from the settlement core and the facilities that exist there. Although there are good health and educational facilities available, there is only a limited retail sector relative to its population. The population of Ballykelly (excluding Walworth) by 2001 was 1,827. Ballykelly is designated a Large Village in the Settlement Hierarchy in Volume 1 of the Plan.

Ballykelly has good road links to Londonderry, 23 kilometres to the west, and Limavady, 4 kilometres to the east. The City of Derry Airport is only 9 kilometres to the west. Located on the Northern Key Transportation Corridor it is adequately served in terms of public transport connections. The proposed Ballykelly by-pass will, when constructed, provide a 7 kilometre single carriageway road taking the bulk of through traffic away from the village, thereby considerably improving environmental conditions. The scheme, although not in the Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan, is to be considered for implementation outside of the Regional Transportation Strategy period.

The development limit will ensure that any new development is easily convenient to all the village’s facilities.