Community Meeting – Drumbeg Holiday Village

Drumbeg’s Future Is at Stake. Come and Have Your Say.

Monday 19 October 2026, 7.30pm | Drumbeg Church Hall

Another large development is being proposed for Drumbeg, this time a holiday village on Ballyskeagh Road, opposite Bob Stewart’s pub. And once again, local residents are being asked to consider what the loss of another stretch of countryside could mean for the place they call home.

The proposal, submitted under LA05/2026/0608/PAN, concerns land within the Lagan Valley Regional Park Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), a landscape supposedly afforded special protection because of its environmental and scenic importance.

Residents have already expressed serious concerns about the potential impact on local wildlife and habitats, increased traffic, noise and disruption, pressure on existing infrastructure and the gradual erosion of the rural character of Drumbeg.

But concern alone will not influence the planning process. We need an informed, organised community response, and that starts with getting people together.

A Community Meeting: Monday 19 October

A meeting for Drumbeg residents and those in surrounding areas will take place at

7.30pm on Monday 19 October in Drumbeg Church Hall.

The meeting will provide an opportunity to understand what is actually being proposed, discuss the potential consequences and consider how residents can respond collectively.

Topics will include the development proposals, environmental and community impacts, the planning process, potential legal representation and the preparation of formal submissions.

This is an independent residents’ meeting. Neither the landowners nor their planning consultants, Bell Rolston, will be present.

Before the Meeting: Do a Little Homework

You don’t need to be a planning expert to make a useful contribution. You don’t even need to have decided whether you support or oppose the development. What matters is understanding the proposal and asking questions.

Here are a few things you can do before Monday:

1. Look at the planning application. Visit the Northern Ireland Planning Portal and search for reference LA05/2026/0608/PAN. Familiarise yourself with the location and available documents.
2. Read the developer’s proposals. Bell Rolston, the planning consultants acting for the applicants, have published consultation information online. Take a look at what is proposed and consider what may be missing from the information provided.
3. Think about the impact on your own neighbourhood. Will the development affect the roads you use, nearby homes, walking routes, wildlife, views or the character of the surrounding countryside?
4. Write down three questions or concerns and bring them with you. They might concern traffic, drainage, sewage capacity, biodiversity, building heights, lighting, noise or the long-term use of the proposed holiday accommodation. Specific questions are far more useful than general objections.
5. Bring a neighbour. Not everyone follows planning applications or social media. Tell someone who might otherwise know nothing about the proposal.

Your Voice Matters

Drumbeg is not simply an available patch of land on a developer’s map. It is a living community within a protected landscape, with wildlife, habitats and a rural character that cannot simply be recreated once lost.

Whatever your views on the proposal, this is your opportunity to become informed, ask questions and help shape the community’s response before decisions are made.

Come along on Monday 19 October at 7.30pm, Drumbeg Church Hall. Bring your questions, bring your concerns and, if you can, bring someone else.

Protecting Drumbeg’s future begins with the people who live here.

Click to see the leaflet in more detail.