New 45-home Portrush development design ‘draws on best local traditions’

The new development would consist of 19 detached and 14 semi-detached dwellings, along with 12 apartment units with associated parking, open space and access via the Ballywillan Road.

The site is on the former University of Ulster campus land. A new school is being constructed on the northern section of the site.

According to the Design and Access Statement, which was submitted by Kevin Cartin Architects on behalf of Lotus Homes, dwellings in the local area are a mixture of detached and semi-detached and built in a range of render and brickwork.

The statement says that the design of the new buildings “draws on the best local traditions of form, materials, proportion and detailing” with their “contemporary style complementing new adjoining developments”.

It adds: “The houses use render and brick detailing with a combination of dark grey roof tiles and feature bay windows; all of which are common within the locality.

“The streetscapes have been carefully considered in all areas to ensure that there is no monotony in terms of repeated designs or similarity of materials and that the composition of each area is well-balanced.”

The dwellings will have “generous back and front gardens” and there will be a village green which will also provide “a visual separation” between the development and the new school.

The statement adds: “The integration of hard and soft landscaping improves the visual amenity and leads to a stronger fusion of the built form and the landscape, both existing and proposed.

“The garden boundaries, which address the public road system, will be built in rendered masonry required to deal with noise along the interface.

"Where possible, these will be softened by the introduction of landscaping around the site’s periphery and railings in strategic areas to create an attractive cohesion between the hard and soft landscaping.”

Catherine Moore, Local Democracy Reporter