A full planning application has been submitted for a major development at Church Street and Meeting House Lane in Ballymena, proposing 74 residential units alongside retained retail premises and a community hub. The application, reference LA02/2026/0747/F, was received by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council on 8 October and validated on 13 October.

The scheme, known as Meeting House Mews, follows a pre-application consultation in September which presented 79 apartments. The number has been reduced by five in the formal submission. The development would retain existing retail Units 2 to 6 on Church Street, change Unit 1 to a community hub, demolish storage buildings, and construct new residential accommodation above the shops plus a separate residential block.

The site comprises a vacant former foodstore, storage and service areas, and underused land behind the Church Street frontage. The application includes amenity space, hard and soft landscaping, cycle storage, and other site works.

An earlier Proposal of Application Notice, received by the council on 10 July, had referred to around 91 residential units. This was subsequently refined to 79 for public consultation and now 74 in the full application.

During consultation, the project was presented as a way to bring long-term use and investment to the site while increasing town centre footfall. The applicant argued that additional residents would support local businesses, with homes within walking distance of shops, services, leisure facilities, and public transport.

The consultation scheme included a landscaped mews to improve pedestrian connections between Church Street and Meeting House Lane, with planting, seating, and shared amenity space. Those elements remain in the application description.

Parking was highlighted during consultation as a zero-parking solution apart from two disabled bays, with the project team citing the site's central location and public transport links. The full application includes a Transport Assessment Form, Parking Audit, and Framework Travel Plan.

Supporting documents address drainage, flood risk, archaeology, biodiversity, bats, acoustics, air quality, landscaping, waste, and servicing. The application is at consultation stage, with council planners and consultees yet to make a recommendation or decision.