Conservation Areas

Conservation Areas (CAs) are Areas of special architectural or historic interest. The Planning Act (NI) 2011 (Section 104) provides the Council with the power to designate an area of special architectural or historic interest as a Conservation Area. Within the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Area there are 5 Conservation Areas with Individual townscape and design advice contained in the relevant designation booklets.  These Conservation Area guides should be used as the first point of reference when bringing forward development proposals in these areas and will be used by the Council in assessing applications, along with Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning, Archaeology and the Built Heritage.

Below is a list of existing CAs and the associated design guides along with dates that each Conservation Area was designated by the Department of the Environment;

• Cushendall Conservation Area – Designated as a CA in 1975, being only the second such area in Northern Ireland.  The CA includes the historic core of the village on the west bank of River Dall, together with the extensive wooded grounds of The Cottage and Court McMartin, and the older parts of the settlement on Kilnadore Road and Coast Road.  The current Cushendall Conservation Area Design Guide was published in November 1993.

• Cushendun Conservation Area – The village and surrounding lands were designated as a CA in 1980 due to its unique architectural inheritance, partly influenced by Clough Williams Ellis a leading architect of his time, and its picturesque setting.  The Cushendun Conservation Area Design Guide was published in December 1996.

• Ballycastle Conservation Area – Designated as a CA in 1990, the area includes the historic upper town around The Diamond and part of the Lower Town and the connecting tree and villa lined mall of Quay Road. The Ballycastle Conservation Area Design Guide was published in June 1990.

• Bushmills Conservation Area – Designated as a CA in 1992, the central Market Square of the village includes a large grouping of Listed Buildings within the CA along with other heritage features and older parts of the world famous Bushmills Distillery and remains of mill races. The Bushmills Conservation Area Design Guide was published in June 1992.

• Ballymoney Conservation Area – The historic core of Ballymoney was designated as a CA in 1994, radiating out from The Diamond to include Charlotte Street, High Street, Church Street, Victoria Street and Main Street.

The designation of Conservation Areas and the production of the associated design guides have contributed to the overall enhancement of the areas and resulted in the sympathetic restoration and physical regeneration of many buildings, some of which had lost part of their original character.  The designations and associated guides continue to play an important role in influencing and shaping the built form in these historic areas.  The aesthetic reasons for retaining the best of the built inheritance has helped raise public awareness of conservation.  Many environmental and economic benefits can also be derived from Conservation Area designations, such as tourism and heritage related leisure activities making them desirable places to live, work, shop and do business.