Antrim & Newtownabbey Community Development Committee Meeting Highlights March 2026

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Community Development Committee met at Mossley Mill on 9 March, with a packed agenda covering local funding, community programmes, tourism events, theatre use, good relations work and this year’s bonfire management plans.

For local people, the biggest talking points were money being approved for community groups, support for events across the borough, fresh backing for projects involving older people and young families, and another discussion around how bonfires will be managed this summer.

One of the clearest decisions of the night was support for six tourism events set to take place during 2026 and 2027.

Councillors approved funding for:

The six events were awarded a combined total of £90,000. To make that happen, money was moved from another festivals budget that had not yet been fully used.

For residents, this is the kind of decision that usually turns into busy town centres, more visitors, and more local spending in shops, cafes and other businesses.

A large part of the meeting focused on grant aid, and there was plenty of it.

Four small grant applications were approved, with just under £4,000 awarded in total. These smaller grants usually help with basics such as equipment, insurance and activity costs.

Councillors also approved five awards under the Capital Premises and Equipment Grant Fund, worth more than £38,000. This money is aimed at helping long-established local groups improve buildings and equipment.

Another major funding decision came through the Elevate Community Renewal and Resilience Fund. Eleven applications were approved for areas facing high levels of deprivation, with nearly £187,000 agreed for 2026 to 2027 and a further £190,000 pencilled in for 2027 to 2028. A second funding round is also due to open in April.

That means more groups in targeted areas now have a shot at support, with another chance coming soon for those who missed out first time round.

The committee also backed funding for two established community projects that will matter to many families across the borough.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Seniors’ Forum is set to receive £15,000 from the council for the year ahead. Other partner organisations are also putting in funding, which keeps the overall support package much stronger.

The THRiVE Project, which supports children and young people in the Macedon and Threemilewater areas, was approved for £28,000. The scheme brings together schools, parents, community organisations and statutory agencies to help children get the best possible start.

For residents, these kinds of decisions may not always grab headlines straight away, but they often have a bigger long-term impact than anything else on the agenda.

Councillors approved the Good Relations Action Plan for 2026 to 2027, alongside a wider Good Relations Audit and Strategy covering the period up to 2031.

This work covers projects linked to shared communities, children and young people, cultural expression and community safety. The council is seeking outside funding for most of the annual plan, with local match funding already set aside in the budget.

In plain terms, this is the framework for how the council plans to support better community relations over the next year and beyond.

One of the more substantial funding decisions involved the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Change Fund.

Five applications were approved under this programme, with £84,682 agreed for the first year and £81,682 for the second. Any money left over will be shifted into awareness sessions connected to the same work.

This fund is aimed at community and voluntary groups delivering local projects linked to prevention, awareness and support.

The item likely to attract the most public interest was the Bonfire Management Programme for 2026.

The council approved the programme, with an estimated budget of £171,000. That includes money for family fun events and for beacon provision, maintenance and repair. There are 26 recognised bonfire sites in the programme, and early signs suggest 24 may take part this year.

Officers said the programme has led to steady progress over time, including fewer bonfires, more sites switching to beacons, better clean-up arrangements and fewer incidents reported by emergency services.

Still, this was not a completely smooth discussion. An amendment linked to how funding reductions could be applied in cases of non-compliance ended in a tied vote, and the chair used a casting vote against it.

The main proposal then passed, with ten votes in favour and four abstentions.

There was also discussion around problems that still remain at some sites, including the burning of flags. Officers said those issues continue to be raised with groups.

For many residents, this is one of those annual council topics that brings a mix of support, frustration and close attention from nearby communities.

There were several decisions involving the Theatre at the Mill and the Courtyard Theatre.

The Royal British Legion was granted free use of the Theatre at the Mill for its Northern Ireland District Conference in January 2027.

Gaelscoil Éanna was also granted free use of the Courtyard Theatre for its annual talent show in June.

Carnmoney Colts received approval for free use of the Courtyard Theatre for an awards celebration in June as well.

But Louder Than Words, a Newtownabbey theatre company, did not get the same answer. Its request for free use of the Courtyard Theatre for a musical production was refused because the show would charge admission. Councillors agreed the group could instead hire the venue at the community rate.

That decision was more finely balanced than some of the others. A proposal to allow one free night and charge for the other two ended in a tied vote before being rejected on the chair’s casting vote.

The committee agreed that the council should take part in the new Shared Ireland Heritage Networks project, which aims to build stronger working links on heritage between councils in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

There was also support for continuing plans around the annual Somme visit, with minutes from the task and finish working group approved.

In another item, financial help was approved so local groups who received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service can attend a Royal Garden Party later this year.

One item for noting gave an update on the Joyce torpedo retrieval boat at Antrim Loughshore.

The council has been working with a local veterans’ group, and the current plan is for volunteers to be on site at weekends during the summer to speak to visitors about the boat and its wartime history on Lough Neagh.

That may sound like a smaller item, but it is the kind of local heritage detail many residents will enjoy seeing brought to life.

Taken as a whole, this meeting was less about dramatic political rows and more about where money is going, which local groups are being supported, and how the council wants to shape community life over the next year.

The biggest takeaways for people in Antrim and Newtownabbey are fairly clear.

More funding is on the way for events, local groups and community projects. Good relations and safety programmes are staying high on the agenda. The bonfire programme is continuing, though it still brings disagreement. And local venues are being used to support everything from school shows to veterans’ events.

For residents who like to keep an eye on what the council is doing, this was one of those meetings where the detail matters because a lot of it will be felt locally in the months ahead.

You can read the full minutes of the March 2026 Community Development Committee meeting here.

Also, click here, if you would like to read the summary of the minutes from previous council meetings in an easy to understand format.

Source: Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council