Northern Area Plan 2016
Strategic Plan Framework: Settlements Settlement Hierarchy
The Plan, consistent with the RDS approach, designates settlements as follows:
| Designation SET 1 Settlement Hierarchy |
|---|
| The Plan designates the following settlement hierarchy, and identifies development land, appropriate to each settlement’s character and function. |
Designation SET 1 (Continued)
| Settlement Hierarchy | Ballymoney Borough | Coleraine Borough | Limavady Borough | Moyle District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Towns | Main Hubs | Coleraine | Limavady | ||
| Local Hubs | Ballymoney | Ballycastle | |||
| Towns | Other Main Towns | Portrush Portstewart | |||
| Small Towns | Garvagh Kilrea | Dungiven | Bushmills Cushendall | ||
| Villages | Large Villages | Clough Mills Dunloy Rasharkin | Castlerock | Ballykelly Greysteel | |
| Small Villages | Ballybogy Balnamore Dervock Loughguile Stranocum | Articlave Castleroe Macosquin Portballintrae | Bellarena Burnfoot Drumsurn Feeny Foreglen | Armoy Ballintoy Ballyvoy Mosside Waterfoot | |
| Small Settlements | Hamlets | Bendooragh Bushvale Carneatly Corkey Derrykeighan Dunaghy Finvoy Magherahoney | Ballyrashane Ballytober Boleran Boveedy Craigavole Clarehill Drumagarner Glenkeen Glenullin Moneydig Ringsend | Ardgarven Artikelly Dernaflaw Glack Gortnahey Largy Shanvey | Church Bay Cromaghs Cushendun Glenariff (Bay) Knocknacarry Liscolman Lisnagunogue |
The RDS designates Coleraine and Limavady as Main Hubs and Ballymoney and Ballycastle as Local Hubs. There are two other towns each with a population exceeding 5,000 - Portrush and Portstewart. The Plan identifies five small towns, namely Dungiven, Kilrea, Garvagh, Bushmills and Cushendall, having regard to the range of retail, other commercial, educational, health and community services in each.
Consistent with the RDS, the Plan promotes and provides for the largest scale, and the widest range of development, in the two Main Hubs of Coleraine and Limavady. Coleraine, with its acute hospital and major university campus, along with the satellite communities of Portrush and Portstewart, effectively functions as one of the major subregional centres outside Greater Belfast, Londonderry and Craigavon. Limavady has consistently experienced an exceptionally high rate of growth throughout the Post-War period. The RDS refers to the potential of the Main Hubs to develop as ‘growth poles’ with a clustering of economic activity, and as major locations for employment, services and a range of cultural and leisure facilities.
The two Local Hubs of Ballymoney and Ballycastle have experienced considerable housing development in the past decade. Ballymoney is well placed on the Northern Corridor, with significant industrial, commercial and educational infrastructure. Ballycastle has a robust commercial centre complemented by a significant tourism role, which has the potential for further development with its central location between two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a possible reinstated ferry link to Argyll, Scotland.
The Plan identifies potential for some development in the smaller settlements, consistent with the guidance of the RDS. These range from the five Small Towns, each of which has an active commercial centre and schools including a secondary school, to Villages with modest services, and Hamlets where there are several basic facilities for the local community. There are villages and hamlets, particularly in the coastal zone, where their original identity and character are under threat due to considerable external demand for housing, especially for second homes. Consistent with the guidance of the RDS, no further green field development will be provided for in these settlements, although there will continue to be opportunities for appropriate brownfield redevelopment.
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