Come along to Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena, on Thursday 7 March to have your say on innovative plans for a new leisure, health and wellbeing centre based at the St Patrick’s Regeneration site.
Council have secured four acres of land at the St Patricks site for this project and now momentum is building with the design phase underway and a planning application due to be submitted later this year.
Before Mid and East Antrim Borough Council submits their planning application for this project, they would like to invite local residents and any other interested parties to a public consultation day to discuss the development of the designs on Thursday 7 March 2024 from 12noon - 7pm at Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena.
Members of the project team will be in attendance throughout the drop-in event to answer your questions and hear your comments. This is your chance to have your say on the plans.
The proposals for the cutting-edge leisure facility also will remain on public exhibition at the Seven Towers Leisure Centre from Friday 8 March 2024 until Wednesday 10 April 2024.
The proposed facilities for the project was established through a wide ranging public consultation exercise previously undertaken by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
Throughout the new leisure, health and wellbeing centre there is a focus on the needs of families and children - there will be a safe and fun ‘Clip ‘n’ Climb’ space, which will provide an indoor adventure area with various obstacles and walls to climb for children with a ranges of ability. Plus, a Soft Play facility available for children of all ages, with a separate play space for parents and toddlers and facilities for accommodating children’s parties.
Within the pool hall there is a dedicated children’s zone with a splash pool area introducing fun play elements to the pool experience for children - this space will contain an aqua play area. A learner pool will provide help to children to gain confidence in the water and learn to swim, this space also has a dedicated viewing area for parents.
The main pool is 25 metres long with 8 lanes and a moveable floor meaning that the depth can be altered to allow children to also use this facility. This reduced pool depth will also enable the provision of an aqua challenge course for children during dedicated pool sessions.
Also included is a pool viewing gallery, 4 court sports hall, café, gym, spin studios, community hub, spa facility and much more.
Within the grounds of the new three storey facility there will be car parking including EV charging points, bus parking, drop off area, external exercise space, and a sensory garden with clocktower. The clocktower will be constructed with retained bricks from the demolition works of the Barracks and will form a feature paying homage to the former use of the site.
The St Patrick’s Regeneration project, led by the Department for Communities, has begun to transform this key location spanning 15 hectares close to the centre of Ballymena. St Patrick’s Link road - a key piece of infrastructure - central to unlocking access to the regeneration site is now open.
Radius Housing is progressing at pace with their new development at St Patrick’s which will see construction of 135 mixed tenure residential properties providing shared housing for all.
Northern Regional College also continues to make impressive progress with their new campus at Farm Lodge.
Council is working with these key partners and others to deliver a high quality, mixed-use development at St Patrick’s - aiming to create a wide range of social, economic and cultural benefits across the Borough. In addition to the leisure, health and wellbeing centre,Council are also developing proposals for the i4C Innovation and Cleantech Centre; an office buildingand a ‘Community Connections’ project.
You can view the latest designs for the leisure, health and wellbeing centre project on Council’s website www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/consultations
Comments on the proposals can be uploaded through a survey at this web address or by emailing: stpatricksregeneration@midandeastantrim.gov.uk
Written submissions can be forwarded by post clearly marked ‘Ballymena Leisure, Health and Wellbeing Centre’ to: Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, The Braid, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, BT43 5EJ.
Deadline for feedback is 10 April 2024.