St Patrick's Church of Ireland, Ballymena
A planning application has been submitted by St Patrick's Church of Ireland for a Covid-19 Memorial Monument in the grounds of the local church in Ballymena.
The proposal for the 1.8 metre high stone monument would see the stone column erected on a grassed triangle area at the gates of the church grounds on Castle Street. The monument will serve as a memorial "for the lives which were lost through the pandemic".
According to the design statement submitted to planners, the monument had been designed to respect the "character and setting of the listed Church, and is considered appropriate in location".
Design and site location for the proposed monument.
The design statement continues:
"The proposal is a modest 1800mm high monument with a base of 350mm on all sides which is to be finished in select stone. The height, scale, material / finish is sympathetic to the listed building, St Patrick's Church.
"Given the modest height and taking into consideration its proposed central location, the monument will not result in any significant loss of key public views of the listed building."
As of the latest available data, the total number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the start of the pandemic is 3,342. These deaths are measured by recording those who died within 28 days of receiving a positive result in a test for coronavirus.