Calls for Sunday trading rules to put Coleraine in line with Portrush and Portstewart

An MLA has called for shops in Coleraine to be allowed to operate under the same rules that allow neighbouring towns to trade for longer on Sundays.
A vacant shop in Coleraine town centre has its windows transformed into this colour scene depicting Causeway Speciality MarketA vacant shop in Coleraine town centre has its windows transformed into this colour scene depicting Causeway Speciality Market
A vacant shop in Coleraine town centre has its windows transformed into this colour scene depicting Causeway Speciality Market

East Londonderry MLA Claire Sugden has urged Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council to grant shops in Coleraine the right to extend their Sunday opening hours during busy summer months.

Current council rules allow shops in towns officially classed as holiday resorts the option to open longer on Sunday during peak season. Ms Sugden said the inclusion of Coleraine in this category would ease congestion during busy periods while potentially giving a boost to local shops.

She said: “Portrush and Portstewart – along with Ballycastle – are able to extend their opening hours on a Sunday during peak season.

“Coleraine gets a lot of holiday traffic and shoppers too.

“It would make sense for Coleraine to be included as the third town in the triangle area.”

“This extra volume of shoppers means places like Riverside Retail Park become very crowded on a Sunday. Allowing shops to open longer would spread this shopping out over a longer period, reducing the high concentration of cars and people seen between the hours of 1pm and 6pm.

“This crowding compounds traffic issues around Coleraine – and particularly along the main arterial routes.”

Including Coleraine as an official holiday resort was not a “magic bullet” to resolving congestion in shops and on roads on a Sunday, but was one solution that would be easy to bring in and quick to be implemented, Ms Sugden said. It could also have economic benefits.

“As businesses struggle to emerge from the pandemic, and initiatives like the High Street Voucher scheme aim to inject money back into the economy, the proposal to extend Sunday trading hours could also help the area economically,” Ms Sugden continued.

“It’s not just big multinational retailers that would benefit – larger, locally owned businesses would benefit too.

“We need to innovatively use all the tools at our disposal to overcome issues such as this. I believe this proposal should definitely be explored further.”

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