'˜Phenomenal' response to car park reopening

The Antrim Street car park reopened on Tuesday, December 6 after Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s Planning Committee approved an application for temporary reopening.

A spokesman for Ralph Parking Management, operators of the facility, said the car park has been “filling on a daily basis.”

“The response has been absolutely phenomenal,” he said. “The welcome back we’ve had is absolutely incredible - there is a lot of genuine emotion for the place.

“We’ve had lots of old faces coming back and it’s amazing just how many of them said they’d stopped coming into town regularly because of the problem finding suitable parking spaces.

“A lot of the shops in the area are reporting an increase in trade, so I think the point has been proved that this car park is needed,” the spokesman added.

Jordan’s Mill car park, which has been the subject of a lengthy planning dispute, closed earlier this year after the council served an enforcement notice on its owner.

However, Planning Committee members last month gave the go-ahead for temporary reopening, for a maximum period of two years.

The owner of the site has put forward long-term plans for a major residential/commercial development.