Bushmills Regeneration

A proposed one-way system on Bushmills Main Street

1. Background to the Proposed Growth Deal project in Bushmills

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has an indicative offer from the UK Government and the NI Executive for a Growth Deal of £72m to promote the economic development of the region. There is no prospect of increased funding from central government or the NI Executive if the project costs increase or if delays result in the budget being eroded by inflation. While the government has promised the funding, the Council still needs to submit detailed business cases for Government approval. The funding is not 100% secured until this process is completed.

The overarching objectives for the Council’s Growth Deal are agreed as follows:

• Position Causeway Coast and Glens as the ‘go-to’ region for business and pleasure

• Regenerate some of the area’s smaller settlements into thriving and sustainable rural economies

• Attract, support and grow more business, with a focus on export

• Improve key elements of the tourism transport network and tourism destinations

• Work with education and employers to improve employability and skills

The Bushmills Regeneration project is one of nine projects prioritised by the elected Members, with an indicative budget of £6.8m. This project has already been the subject of ongoing local consultations from as far back as 2015 when the Bushmills 2020 Village Plan was being developed. This is the first time there has been the prospect of a significant budget to deliver some of the improvements previously prioritised within the Plan.

The Bushmills Regeneration project proposes:

• Traffic improvements including a one-way system on Main Street
• A public realm scheme with wider pavements, attractive robust paving surfaces, improved on-street parking, street furniture (seats, bins etc.), public art and signage
• Improvements to visual attractiveness of The Millennium Car Park and riverbank area
• Increased capacity in Dundarave Carpark
• Investment in the old Riverside Garage building to the rear of the Court House
• New plaza areas at The Diamond and the area close to the old National School (which is the subject of a separate community-led project)

Two other Council Growth Deal projects will touch on Bushmills and there will be future consultation on these projects as they are developed:

• ‘Portrush to Giants Causeway Greenway’ - to create a Greenway from Portrush to the Giant’s Causeway via Portballintrae and Bushmills, including upgrades to the existing path following the tram tracks from Bushmills to the Giant’s Causeway
• ‘Connected Causeway Traffic & Parking Infrastructure’ - a proposal to increase car parking close to Bushmills.

2. Proposed traffic improvements for Bushmills.

The first stage of this project is to consider the potential traffic improvements in the village. This community engagement is therefore entirely focused on these proposed traffic improvements:

• One-way system south bound on Main Street between The Diamond and the junction with Bridge Street
• Increasing capacity in the Dundarave Carpark
• Junction improvements where:
  • Priestland Road meets Dunluce Road
  • Main Street meets Bridge Street
  • One-way section in Woodvale Park

One-way system

The proposal is for Main Street between The Diamond and the junction with Bridge Street to be one-way, south bound. This would:

• Give priority to people rather than cars by increasing the width of footways to circa three metres or wider, making it easier and more pleasant for people to spend time on Main Street and use the facilities such as shops and cafes.
• Provide wider on-street parking spaces, making it safer and more convenient.
• Create ‘dwell areas’ around The Diamond for people to spend time, sitting, relaxing and enjoying the hospitality Bushmills offers as well as improving the setting of Bushmills Cenotaph
• Enhance the character of this historic village and increase the prominence of the heritage features
• Create opportunities for landscaping, planting, street furniture and public art
• Provide opportunities to take advantage of the River Bush and Millenium Park as a positive feature of the village.

Junction improvements

It is proposed that the one-way system is supported by improvements to three junctions:

• The junction of Priestland Road and Dunluce Road, will have a new double exit to the Dunluce Road which should speed up exiting form the junction.

• At the junction of Main Street and Bridge Street, the traffic from Dervock will have a new priority over traffic exiting Main Street.

• The one-way system has an impact on the southern junction of Main Street and Woodvale Park. To maximise safety there are proposals to introduce a short section of one-way traffic on Woodvale Park. This means that the junction at Lilly’s Café would only be used by cars going into Woodvale Park and not for exiting traffic.

The proposed improvements have been designed to enhance road safety for all pedestrians including those going to the primary school, GP surgery, tram halt and the future Greenway; and to speed up traffic flows.

Increased capacity in Dundarave Carpark

To address the impact of the existing undersupply of parking, the proposals include an additional 38 parking spaces in the Dundarave Car Park. The proposals will also eliminate the current situation where bus stops reduce on-street parking capacity (we will of course retain all bus stops). The changes to Dundarave Car Park would relocate the coach parking to the grass area in front of the changing pavilion and increase car capacity by around 38 spaces. Proposals to increase the pedestrian areas around The Diamond will reduce parking capacity in that area but this will be more than offset but increases elsewhere.

There are also proposals to enhance the Bushmills Millenium Car Park with resurfacing, layout, improvements to the attractiveness of riverbank and increased definition of parking spaces and pedestrian links. This detailed design and associated consultation will happen at the next stage of the project.

There are also wider proposals for parking management across the district and this could include digital signage or app to indicate available space. Once again, this will be consulted on in the future when the options have been considered.

3. Why we are engaging on the proposed traffic improvements now

Having a one-way system or not, will be the single biggest factor in designing the rest of the Bushmills Regeneration project. If there is broad community support for the one-way proposals, there is the potential for the village to benefit from the wider improvements. Should the one-way proposals not be supported the two-way system will be retained. This will limit the improvements to repaving the existing footpaths without widening them. Also, the on-street parking bays would remain at the same constrained widths. This would significantly reduce the potential benefits for businesses and the community in Bushmills.

The Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for Architecture and the Built Environment advised us that, making places more welcoming to visit and stay encourages people to stay longer and explore hospitality and retail as well as the destinations. Enhancing Bushmills Main Street, with wider footpaths and creating the opportunities and desire for people to spend more time in the commercial heart of the village should support businesses to be more successful and Bushmills to thrive, leading to more businesses and jobs.

The designs for the public realm improvement will be dependent on the decision for the one-way proposals. Making this decision early in the project development has the potential to:

• Avoid unnecessary work - reducing design and engineering costs and time developing options that are not accepted by businesses and the community; and
• Reduce the risk of not meeting the timescale to secure the Growth Deal funding.

Download Files

How to get more information and provide feedback

1. How to get more information

A copy of the drawings is available for viewing in Bushmills Visitor Information Office. Their opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm (closed for lunch 1 - 1.30pm)

2. We need your views

The best outcome from this engagement process would be for the community to indicate either a strong ‘yes’ or a strong ‘no’ to a proposed one-way system. We also would like to understand the reasons for your preference and any other suggestions you may have to make our proposals better.

Please share your views by completing our short survey following the link below.

5. Next Steps

Based on the outcome of this consultation, the Council will progress with the plans for the village regeneration, and we will consult further as the designs are progressed. All this information will contribute to the business case that will be submitted to government for approval to secure the funding.

Please access the survey via the following link - Click Here

If you do not have access to a smartphone or a computer, you can call into Bushmills Visitor Information Centre to complete a written survey. You may also ring the following number 07525 906959 to request a hard copy by post.