Councillors told of coffin and mattress storage request at Newtownabbey site

Councillors were told the proposed location for 20 storage units was at Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, adjacent to The Railway Bar and car park.

Planning agent John Simpson told the meeting there is a “high demand in the area for storage”. He indicated that a funeral company had inquired about the storage of coffins and another business wished to store mattresses.

A report to the committee said: “The agent asserts that through the granting of extant planning permission for a storage shed on 22nd December 2022 that an element of storage already operates on the site and that the proposal seeks to redevelop and expand on the approved storage facility.”

It was also stated: “The proposal is to create a separate, independent business and would not be ancillary to the existing public house.”

Senior planning officer Alicia Leathem said the proposal is “acceptable under redevelopment of established existing use”. However, she indicated potential for “exposed views of an industrial development that would harm the character of this area”.

Ecological Features

“It has not been demonstrated that the proposal will not have a detrimental impact on ecological features,” she added.

Threemilewater DUP Councillor Sam Flanagan suggested there could be “20 separate users” on the site.

Barry Diamond, the council’s principal planning officer, issued a note of caution saying the proposed storage units are not associated with the pub. He said Department for Infrastructure I Roads has requested a transport assessment form. “There is simply not enough information to indicate what would be appropriate levels.”

The recommendation to refuse planning permission was proposed by Threemilewater Ulster Unionist Cllr Stephen Cosgrove and seconded by Threemilewater Alliance Alderman Tom Campbell.

The application was refused after a vote in which nine councillors supported the proposal with abstentions from committee chair Macedon Ulster Unionist Cllr Robert Foster and Antrim DUP Ald John Smyth.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter