Unit 1, Braidwater Retail Park, Ballymena

Planning approval was obtained for an amendment to the bulky goods condition to allow certain proportions of convenience and comparison goods to be sold from Unit 1 at Braidwater Retail Park. Located just to the south of Ballymena Town Centre, the retail park also contains Smyths Toys, Intersport, B&Q store along with a Sainsbury's foodstore nearby.

Issues Encountered

• Amending existing Planning approval which allowed only for the sale of bulky goods
• Retail Impact on existing centres in the catchment area.
• Out of town centre site and possibility of alternative town centre sites.

Our Involvement

We prepared a detailed Retail Impact Assessment report to assess the likely impact of the proposal on existing centres and to assess the availability of suitable town centre sites. We also arranged political support of the proposal through a process of lobbying relevant Councillors. The application was subsequently approved in December 2015.