Transforming Ballymena with housing-led regeneration

Communities Minister visits Radius Housing's £29m development project at St. Patrick's Barracks site.

Press Release - 20th October 2022

The Minister for Communities has today visited the St. Patrick’s Barracks site in Ballymena, Co Antrim, where 135 new homes  are currently being built by Radius Housing. The £29m project is a housing-led regeneration project on what was the site of the former St Patrick’s Barracks, and Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA had the chance to see progress on the site and hear how these plans contribute to the area’s wider £160m masterplan.

Construction of the new homes began in August and when completed will consist of 32 apartments, including a number which are wheelchair accessible, and 113 houses, ten of which will be for private sale as affordable homes. Alongside the new homes and new roads infrastructure, the project will also see the creation of a new children’s play park. The £29m investment is supported by the Department for Communities and Radius Housing, and the lead contractor on the project is MJ McBride. The project is expected to be completed by mid 2025.

The new scheme is part of the NI Executive’s draft Programme for Government Shared Housing Programme ‘Housing for All’. 

Radius Housing is a leading social and affordable housing developer in Northern Ireland, constructing 300 new social and affordable homes each year. They manage more than 13,000 social homes, and provide care and support to thousands more each year.

Speaking at the site, John McLean, Chief Executive of Radius Housing, said “This is an exciting project and we are delighted that work is now underway. High quality housing is central to all aspects of wellbeing and we are delighted that it sits at the centre of this major regeneration project. When completed this will be a community of modern homes with great social infrastructure and a great place to live.

“At Radius we pride ourselves on developing new homes to the highest standard, with a focus on sustainability. These new homes will have the best standards of energy efficiency, which will keep tenants bills down. We look forward to seeing these homes progress, and we will be working with the local community through this stage and beyond, to ensure that it delivers a positive outcome.”

ENDS

Further information:

Brendan Scott

MW Advocate

07834422923