Plans for new hockey pitch at Dalriada School approved by Council

The pitch at the Ballymoney school, which will replace an existing hockey pitch at the same location of the school, has proposed hours of use between 9.30am and 9pm from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 7pm on Saturdays with no use on Sundays.

The new plans to replace the existing pitch with a “new synthetic pitch with perimeter fencing and floodlighting” at the school on St James Road were accepted late last year, following an initial application in June 2022.

A site visit report by Development Management Officers stated that the site was “located to the immediate south of two existing rugby pitches and is currently laid out hardstanding as an all-weather pitch for athletics”.

The report stated the immediate surroundings of the site contained residential areas, but was “dominated by Dalriada School, Ballymoney Integrated Primary School and Ballymoney Nursey School”.

The site also lies immediately adjacent to a historic park, garden and demesne which also incorporates part of the extensive woodland, and a number of archaeological sites fall within the wider area, but the “proposal lies outside the identified consultation areas of these sites”.

In conclusion, the report said: “The proposed use remains unchanged as it seeks to redevelop the existing all-weather pitch to provide a synthetic hockey pitch with ancillary perimeter fencing. As such the proposal is in compliance with policy and the Northern Area Plan.”