Ballycastle and a Tesco Store

What are the unknown unknowns?

[photo - Daniel McAfee]

Council NO Followed By Public Protest

Drama at council over Tesco plans

Ballymoney and Moyle Times

In March Moyle Council split in relation to the application by Tesco to build a store at Leyland Road.

Seven councillors - made up of Sinn Fein and SDLP - voted not to send a letter of support to planners for the Tesco store at that location.

Five other councillors voted to support Tesco and after the vote, DUP councillor Robert McIlroy said it would be interesting to see the reaction of local people to the decision.

Residents stand up for Tesco
News Letter

"I started a petition today calling for Tesco to come to the town and in the space of only five hours I got more than 300 signatures."

Do you want Tesco in Ballycastle?

Facebook
[800 members and now rising more slowly] 

Are some Moyle councillors feeling the heat?

Ballycastle Chronicle update

FREE away day for Ballycastle traders courtesy of a company subsidised by taxpayers

Press Release v News Item
Can you tell the difference?

Buncrana Road, not Leyland Road
Are they related?

Tescopoly - Northern Ireland
Concern about negative aspects of supermarket power

Chronicle: People Speak Out

Are opinions from adjoining villages being sought and heard?

Added May 10

It was my impression that an alternative plan for a supermarket site and offices adjacent to Station Road had been lodged with the divisional planning office. However, an official there assures me that it has only been lodged as a query and is not in the process for validation where it could acquire a reference number and become accessible to the public for scrutiny.

Added May 26

I've received an indirect request from Cllr Padraig McShane, in association with his sister and Moyle District Council chair Cllr Cara McShane, for the publication of plans for an alternative site for the supermarket and office buildings in the vicinity of Station Road, Ballycastle. If these plans have yet to be officially registered with the Planning Service I would need an outline map showing the proposed location, access and egress routes and possible Planning Service objections as well as the name of the unnamed developer and proposals for dealing with traffic congestion in the vicinity of the Diamond. All material can be sent to nalilblog@gmail.com [text in TXT format and images in JPG format]

Have the invitations to the public meeting by the end of May been sent out?

Ballycastle and the Atlantic Salt Trail

Click images to enlarge

Will the various salt workings between Ballycastle [pdf file] and Fair Head become part of the Atlantic Salt Trail? That is the great hope and expectation of local historian, Danny McGill.

Prof Mark Brisbane, School of Conservation Sciences, Bournemouth University and David Cranstone of Cranstone Consultants are part of a consortium which sought INTERREG funding for an 'Atlantic Salt Trail' running from Portugal to Scotland. David seems fairly convinced that Ballycastle stands a strong chance of making it onto the Trail.

Work on the project will begin in May and Mark, in correspondence with Danny, has indicated that the plan is to create 'a database (2010 and 2011) and then a heritage trail (2012). The intention is to include both archaeology/history/heritage and ecology, the latter looking into the range of biodiversity that these salt working sites contain and incorporating elements of that into the Trail as well'.

These salt working sites lie within the Ballycastle Coalfields ASSI [pdf file] and so the guardians of our natural, built and industrial heritage will probably now be paying closer attention to construction work being carried out adjacent to one of these ancient industrial sites. The Trail would obviously be an important tourism asset alongside the Giants Causeway World Heritage Site and Carrickarede Rope Bridge.

The construction work is being carried out at Coalyard Cottage, also formerly known as Ca the Coals and Old Salt Pans. The Danny McGill sketch of two piers and a cross pier is based on the location of post holes.

The supply channel carrying sea water into the bucket pot lies just to the right/east of these piers. As you can see, this channel is now partially blocked by boulders.


The bucket pot is tucked just underneath the north-east corner of the coalyard site.

Ecosal Atlantis Newsletter, December 2010

Paisley Thank-you Letter Delayed

Mystery Thank-You

Updated April 26 - also on Scribd

The letter is dated 16 March 2010 yet the envelope is date and time stamped 06.04.10 05:50 pm. Why was there such a delay? Why does Ian jnr make an appearance in the photo? He seems to occupy more of the print than his father does.

Coincidentally, the date of the election was announced some hours prior to the franking of the Paisley thank-you letter.

Ephesians 6:19-20 (King James Version)

19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

I wonder if Ian snr ever saw that bathroom suite in the piggery.

Added April 17

How were recipients of the letter, immediately following the announcement of an election, expected to interpret the enclosed photo, especially when the son, an election candidate, appears to feature more strongly than the father, the retiring MP?

Who paid for this correspondence to the North Antrim electorate? If the money came from public funds to what account was it charged and when?

A commenter on Slugger O'Toole ponders: "That could play havoc with their election budgets if it was not included! In fact it could render Junior ineligible to take a seat if he won and the budget was exceeded. Interesting to watch how this will play."

A visit to the DUP local advice centres' webpage highlights two other curious features. The sticker on the thank-you letter envelope carries the contact address of Ian jnr, not Ian snr, and clicking on the link to Ian snr's constituency website takes you instead to the European Institute of Protestant Studies. The DUP's Limavady office contains the name of an MP and an MLA, not so the Ballymena office.

Added April 26

Paisley election brochure

No 'Thank You' on this image

Not Marconi's Cottage - Stone Cladding

Click to enlarge

Coalyard Cottage, 40 Carrickmore Road, Ballycastle

2010 Bushmills At War Exhibition - July 17 - 25

BUSHMILLS AT WAR EXHIBITION

ON FACEBOOK

The 2010 exhibition will be on display from Saturday July 17 to Sunday July 25 - 10.30 am to 7.30 pm - with the exception of Sundays, when it will be open in the afternoon only.

The exhibition will commemorate the men and women from Bushmills and district who gave their lives in both world wars. Some of the material will commemorate those from neighbouring districts.

There'll be displays of photographs, personal stories and medals of individual service persons, along with memorabilia honoring local hero, Rifleman Robert Quigg VC.

The exhibition will be held in Dunluce Parish Centre, Priestland Road, Bushmills

World War I: Robert Thompson, Riverside Road, Bushmills

Click on robert@riversideroad.freeserve.co.uk

World War II: Glenda Rodgers, Huey Crescent, Bushmills

Click on glendarodgers@btopenworld.com

The Hedges, Bregagh Road, Stranocum

Click to enlarge

Mapping at Land and Property Services, Northern Ireland

I know of only one house in Carnfishin in the townland of Ballyhemlin and about one mile south-east of Bushmills. Its modern address is 30 Haw Road.

You can find the location of the townland at Placenamesni.org and the location of the house at Land and Property Services, Northern Ireland.

Click Geographic Information and Mapping tab on left panel

Click GeoHub NI link and register to use - it's free

Select envelope icon (2nd from top right) and type in 30 Haw Road - the Carnfishin location

Click on 30 Haw Road, Ballyhemlin and you're there

Henry and McHenry in Ulster Heritage Magazine

The Henrys of Ulster in Ulster Heritage Magazine.

Another variant in North-East Ulster is McKendry.

View from Fair Head

'Marconi's Cottage' and Some PR History

Updated 8 April 2010

Where are the guardians of our natural and built heritage?

Now that's a piece of PR history .. Navigator Blue

Some other history from Moyle Council minutes re. planning application for a new dwelling at 40 Carrickmore Road, Ballycastle:

Ms McMath stated that this application was recommended for refusal due to the application being contrary to Policy CTY1 no justification for the replacement of this vernacular building and 5 of PPS14, no justification for the replacement of the building, worthy of retention and unacceptable visual impact. .. 31 March 2008

Ms McMath stated that there were no objections to the above eight applications, they were recommended for approval .. 22 December 2008

What led to the Planning Service's strong objections being swept away? Why did Moyle Council not query this unusual state of affairs?