'Our areas will not be defined by the riots of the summer of 2025 - we are looking to the future'

A significant event was held at the Adair Arms Hotel recently, as part of a lead initiative by the Harryville & Clonavon - Recovery & Regeneration Group, aimed at addressing the recent unrest in the town and charting a path for the ongoing recovery and regeneration of the Harryville and Clonavon areas.

The meeting, sponsored by the Ballymena South Community Cluster and chaired by local Christian Minister, Rev. Alistair Bates, brought together community representatives, council officials, elected councillors and MLAs, statutory agencies, landlords, and residents.

The focus was on exploring practical and collaborative steps to address the key concerns of residents and to improve both the physical and social environment of these neighbourhoods.

Presentations and Key Inputs

Attendees heard presentations from Professor Peter Shirlow (FaCSS), Director at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies, and Gary Lamont, a long-standing resident of Queen Street.

Professor Shirlow delivered a detailed presentation on migration trends and demographic statistics, emphasising the importance of data-driven planning and enhanced social awareness.

The presentation examined common misconceptions surrounding migration to Northern Ireland and concluded with evidence indicating that the proportion of ethnic minorities, particularly members of the Roma community, relocating to Ballymena is significantly higher than in other parts of the province.

Gary Lamont delivered a compelling account drawn from his lived experience, outlining the daily challenges faced by local families in the years preceding, during, and following the June riots.

Informed by his professional background as the director of an architectural company, he identified several priority areas for improvement, including housing quality, environmental standards, and the need for stronger accountability and enforcement by statutory agencies.

Rev. Alistair Bates provided further valuable perspective, drawing upon his own knowledge and experience of community dynamics.

He presented demographic data specific to Harryville and Clonavon, highlighting the significant shifts that have occurred as a result of disproportionate levels of immigration. Rev. Bates emphasised the critical importance of partnership, shared responsibility, and sustained collaboration in achieving meaningful recovery and long-term community regeneration.

All three speakers emphasised the urgent need for joined-up working between residents, landlords, statutory agencies and local authorities to ensure accountability and deliver meaningful, lasting regeneration.

Roundtable Discussions

Following the presentations, roundtable discussions took place involving Environmental Health representatives, NI Housing Executive staff, council officials, and PSNI officers, marking a clear commitment to a cross-agency response.

Participants acknowledged that warning signals, particularly around undocumented migration, irresponsible landlords, and neighbourhood decline, had been missed or neglected by both council and statutory agencies. There was widespread frustration that these early indicators were not acted upon sooner.

It was agreed that there is now a real onus on statutory agencies to adopt a more proactive and hands-on approach to regeneration and enforcement.

The meeting reaffirmed the importance of the council adopting a more holistic and community-centred approach, one that places genuine value on the needs and voices of local residents.

It was also recognised that the built environment plays an essential role in supporting health, wellbeing, and community stability. Safeguarding the environment was therefore described as central to achieving long-term renewal.

Progress and Current Work

An update was given on progress already made by the Harryville & Clonavon Recovery & Regeneration Group, which is currently working with several key landlords across the area

to:

• Upgrade and repair properties

• Increase investment in maintenance

• Build stronger working relationships, and

• Create a safe and constructive environment for engagement

Several landlords have already begun repair works, and visible improvements are emerging.

However, it was noted that some landlords have refused to engage, which remains a major challenge. Participation from those who remain absent is actively being sought.

Recommendations/Action Points

1. Statutory agencies should adopt a more proactive and responsive approach, ensuring that the concerns of residents are actively heard, acknowledged, and addressed in a timely and transparent manner.

2. Statistics and monitoring systems should have highlighted early issues - future data analysis must better identify emerging social and housing problems.

3. There was strong consensus on the need for clear departmental responsibilities and greater accountability across agencies.

4. Illegal HMOs must be tackled as part of the wider enforcement strategy.

5. The state of the built environment, including vacant, derelict, and run-down properties must be addressed, with enforcement action applied to irresponsible landlords as a

regeneration priority.

6. A renewed focus is needed on social, physical, and cultural regeneration, avoiding divisive narratives and focusing instead on good citizenship, shared stewardship, and community pride.

7. The council mindset must change to better recognise the value of Harryville and Clonavon to the local economy. In this regard, the development of a Housing and Business Audit for both areas is being explored.

8. A formal request for environmental workers, modelled on the existing Portglenone initiative, has been made to council.

9. A proposal for a pilot regeneration scheme involving local environmental cleaning companies working in partnership with council has also been presented. Commitments and Next Steps

The Harryville & Clonavon - Recovery & Regeneration Group expressed its readiness to take the lead, working in conjunction with the Council’s recovery strategy. A commitment was made to establish a working group consisting of key representatives from council and statutory agencies, meeting monthly to ensure all partners remain accountable for progress and transparency.

Shared Vision for the Future

The shared outcome of the meeting was a clear commitment to restoring Harryville and Clonavon - to see these communities thrive once again through good citizenship and be known as a welcoming place for all who would choose to integrate, embrace local values, work and invest in the area.

Attendees were reminded that Harryville and Clonavon once stood proudly as the industrial heart of Ballymena. For generations, these areas were places where work was found, skills were passed on, and families were sustained by the factories, mills, and engineering works that lined their streets.

It was industry that gave this part of the town its identity - a community of workers who took pride in their labour and in the bonds they built with one another.

The mills and factories may be gone, but their legacy remains. The people of Harryville and Clonavon know what it means to work hard, to endure, and to pull together in times of difficulty.

As the meeting drew to a close, there was a strong sense of shared determination among all present - a resolve to ensure that Harryville and Clonavon will not be defined by the riots of the summer of 2025, nor by a story of decline, but by a new chapter of healing, recovery, growth, and opportunity for generations to come.

Gary Lamont

Chairman, Harryville & Clonavon Recovery & Regeneration