A COUNTY Tyrone developer has formally lodged plans for one of the largest property and road-build schemes in Northern Ireland in recent years, representing a £250 million investment and with the potential to create hundreds of jobs.
Dungannon-based Neptune Carleton, a joint venture between UK property developer Neptune Group and the landowning Thornton family, is proposing major residential, commercial and infrastructure developments in Lisburn.
It includes 1,300 three- and four-bedroom homes and 770,000 sq ft of commercial floorspace, while it also proposes a new 1.6 km road and bridge over the River Lagan to connect the M1 at Sprucefield to a junction at Moira Road/Knockmore Road in the city.
Two planning applications have been lodged with Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, which have been refined after a series of public consultation events, most recently in September past.
The M1-Knockmore link road includes a two-span bridge over the River Lagan and is the key driver to unlocking the growth of the city at west Lisburn, facilitating the development of the proposed lands at Blaris and a future link to the nearby Maze site.
When completed, the new road will allow for enhanced vehicle movement around the city and enable improved public transport services with new circular bus routes linking the new neighbourhood to the proposed park and ride and rail halt at Knockmore and to the city’s bus and rail stations.
Construction of the road will bring 88 construction jobs and contribute some £6.5 million to the wide Lisburn economy.
The masterplan for the neighbourhood will see the creation of a riverside park alongside the Lagan, with landscaped walkways connecting to a range of new housing.
It will also see a realigned and upgraded Blaris Road as the focus of a community hub of local shops and facilities to support the new neighbourhood.
Major employment floorspace with the potential to generate some 1,500 new jobs across a range of business uses including a new hotel and pub/restaurant is also included.
The economic impact accompanying the proposals anticipates over 330 construction jobs a year across the wider development, contributing £195 million annually in wages over the anticipated 20-year lifetime of the project.
Neptune Carleton director Patrick Heffron said “We're delighted that the planning applications have now been lodged with the Council.
"Our proposals will create a sustainable and high quality expansion of Lisburn City where people will want to live, work and enjoy their leisure time.
"We are committed to working closely with the council and its consultees to deliver on the vision that we have established and to seeing the link road and a first phase of development constructed by summer 2021.”
The Neptune Group has a range of commercial and housebuilding interests in Northern Ireland, including the Linen Green at Moygashel.
It has also submitted two reserve matters residential planning applications in Ballyclare.
The first is for lands to the north and south of Doagh Road in the town, including 272 residential dwellings and approximately 13,000 sq ft of retail space.
The second reserve matters application has been submitted for the remainder of the Ballyclare Relief Road, linking Ollar Valley with The Rashee Road to the north of the town.
