UNVEILED: NI’S FIRST RETIREMENT VILLAGE 360 HOMES PLANNED FOR CARRICKFERGUS
£45m project set to create 360 homes at Carrickfergus
NORTHERN Ireland could be set to get its first dedicated retirement and assisted living village, creating hundreds of jobs.
Proposals to develop the facility in Carrickfergus go on public display today and tomorrow as part of a consultation process over the project.
The owners, Kilmona Holdings, plan to develop 361 residential units, a medical centre, a nursing home, a spa/well-being centre and neighbourhood retail on the site, which is located on lands at 75 Belfast Road.
A total of 42 acres of the site will be developed into parkland which will incorporate walking trails.
Causeway Asset Management will be managing the project on behalf of Kilmona Holdings. They estimate that developing the site will create around 300 jobs throughout the construction phase and sustain a further 100 jobs when completed.
It is expected that the project will amount to an investment of £45m over five years.
Residents will benefit from on-site security and around-theclock monitored CCTV, optional support services including laundry services, personal shopping, domestic cleaning and personal care.
The scheme will be residential-led with 50% of the homes being traditional semi-detached and detached properties with the other 50% being apartments and assisted living units.
A park-and-ride service between the development and Carrickfergus town centre will also be established.
Brian Kearney from Causeway Asset Management said: “A retirement village of this scale is a first for Northern Ireland and we can see in other parts of the world how they have proven extremely successful and have added life to the towns in which they are located.
“This is the start of a process to revitalise a site which has been badly in need of regeneration for some time. We very much look forward to hearing the views of the public and other stakeholders.”
Stephen Blaney, design director at Coogan and Co Architects in Belfast, said: “This development will be a first for Northern Ireland. Retirement villages have proved successful in other parts of the world and it has been great for Coogan and Co to be able to design this one.”
The public consultation event will take place at the Loughshore Hotel in Carrickfergus today from 2pm to 8pm and tomorrow from 10am to 3pm.
A consultation process has been ongoing since June on plans to develop and regenerate a 120-acre area of prime brownfield land in Carrickfergus where the scheme will be located.