Former 'Tech' development begins

SIMPSON Developments has gone live on its Chichester Park housing scheme in Antrim town centre following planning approval and months of site clearance on the location of the old Antrim ‘Tech’.

The development, which is made up of a selection of bungalows, semi detached and detached houses as well as apartments is unique in that it is one of few developments locally to include much sought-after bungalow options.

It is also offering home buyers garage buildings, which can be converted into office space to accommodate home working, gyms or even a reading or sun room.

Fifty people will be employed during the construction phase, with the entire development expected to be completed over the next five years.

The first properties at Chichester Park - a change from the original proposed name of Hamley Hall - will go on sale in June and begin at £150,000.

Among the property portfolio are four-bed detached houses as well as three-bed semis and bungalow models.

The bungalow-style homes come in a two-bed and four-bed option complete with an ensuite and bathroom and a large, open plan living and dining area.

All new homes will be equipped with eco-friendly and “smart” features, with options to install electric vehicle charging points.

Provision for the smart technology includes smart doorbells equipped with a camera, allowing the homebuyer to record and live stream video directly from their porch to a smartphone.

Meanwhile, a range of smart heating controls showcases the very latest smart heating technology and a smart home alarm systems range allows the homebuyer to arm and disarm the alarm system from anywhere via a smartphone.

Speaking about the development, Nigel Simpson, Managing Director of Simpson Developments, who was born in Antrim, said:

“We are delighted to be able to get to work on a scheme that will please those seeking a sustainable, modern living space in the heart of Antrim town.

“Chichester Park is unique in that it has a myriad of options that will appeal to everyone from the first-time buyer to the down-sizer.

“I am proud to be able to commit further investment to Antrim which has seen an influx of development over the past several years, including The Junction and Castle Mall.

“I am confident that homebuyers will be impressed by the central location of this release. These homes are in close proximity to the main street, yet maintain a natural and quiet setting within the development, presenting all the benefits of an urban location with the feeling of living somewhere more rural.”

“We’re also proud to add to the bungalow housing stock, for a second time. This model of home is one in high demand but also one that has fallen out of favour with building companies so we’re certain they will beckon huge interest.

“The design of these homes will complement our new way of life in a post-pandemic era too, one where many workers have been afforded more flexible working patterns, giving them more time to spend in the comfort of their own homes. With this in mind our convertible garages offer up a new space open to any purpose and we know this will be a hit with our homebuyers.”

Chichester Park sits on the site of the former Northern Regional College.

Over the years that site became run down attracting elements of anti-social behaviour. It has since been knocked down and will make way for the construction of the new properties.

Chichester Park’s planning approval follows on from the construction launch of Simpson Developments’ Petticrew Park site, a 43-unit scheme in Ballyclare.

It too will boast the bungalow model as well as detached and semi-detached properties.

In its heyday, thousands of students flocked to the ‘Tech’, but in late 2021, sprawling complex on Fountain Street was reduced to rubble.

Many locals will be glad to see the site put back to work, but others may ponder how another relatively new school booked a date with the wrecking ball in the first place.

It is hardly cause for celebration, but there can be few towns the size of Antrim that have so few schools and colleges for its young people.

Back in the 1990s students were flooding through the gates of Ardnaveigh, Antrim High and St Malachy’s - before, one by one, the house of cards collapsed.

Incredibly, first in the firing line was Ardnaveigh, Antrim’s youngest school.

Dogged by debts and battling falling numbers, the North Eastern Board decided that it was no longer making the grade and prepared to pull the plug. The parents had other ideas, however, and the closure went to Judicial Review - and the Board lost.

But the champagne corks had barely hit the ground when the Board moved to Plan B - and turned their attention to Antrim High.

The shutters duly came down, with principal Robin Smyth moving across town to take up the helm at Ardnaveigh. A couple of years later he would be clearing his desk again when it too closed.

In a bid to stave off closure it had been relaunched as Massereene Community College, but the rebranding failed.

Loyalist protests outside the gates of neighbouring St Malachy’s also took their toll, and Antrim’s only Catholic secondary called time.

And then there was Antrim Technical College.

The original ‘Tech’, with its rather austere grey facade, opened on Railway Street in 1931.

It boasted 13 rooms, but the manner in which they were exploited for maximum effect was a lesson in economy.

The building was used by 210 full-time, 22 part-time day release and 461 part-time evening students.

It was a timetabling nightmare, and with the growth of Antrim in the early 1970s it was clear that something had to give.

The wheels turn slowly, but by November 1977 they were finally turning - to the delight of then principal John Bell.

Mr Bell notched up 27 years at the helm, just one less than predecessor John McCoubrey.

This new college on Fountain Street would cater for 400 full-timers, and would boast a modern new building, including a sports hall, with a focus on commercial, science, engineering and the arts.

Among the innovations was a new book-keeping room, incorporating ‘a new accounting machine’, and a cluster of typing rooms.

The engineering department would boast a brickwork and plasterers’ area, along with a garage workshop for maintenance.

The final bill was a then-hefty £1.5 million and it finally opened, a little over schedule, in Easter 1979.

The formal opening came in October of that year, with former Parliamentary Under Secretary with Responsibility for Education Lord Elton doing the honours.

At first the college was its very own limited company - formed in 1981 - complete with teenage managing directors, marketing executives and accountants.

Indeed, in 1982 it was reported that ‘ATECH Ltd’ was showing a 20 per cent profit.

Little more than a decade later, however, change was in the air again.

In 1993 it was announced that Antrim was to merge with campuses in Ballymena and Magherafelt. No-one could have guessed, but it was the beginning of the end.

Over time key courses were lost. This was death by a thousand cuts and soon the Tech was haemorrhaging students.

The end finally came in the summer of 2011 despite a spirited campaign to keep it open.

The dream was over. The gleaming new campus was left a skeletal ruin, ravaged by vandals, the bones picked over by enterprising thieves.

With the closure the Northern Regional College soon lost control of the property.

The seclusion may have made for quiet classrooms, but after the shutters came down chaos reigned - and from the road passers-by could hardly tell.

Within months of the closure the vultures were circling over the carcass. First to strike were the thieves who stripped the lead flashing from the property.

In April 2012 a dumper truck was used to ‘attack’ the building, damaging the fencing, the garage and the rear doors.

Then it was open season, with intruders systematically destroying anything to hand in the classrooms.

On October 20 2012 more than 40 windows were smashed in a single evening.

The following month horses were abandoned in the grounds and reports of criminal damage soared.

In January 2013 the criminal gangs were back, gaining entrance to the buildings and stripping metal wiring. Shielding to the boiler house an its doors were also removed.

In January 2014 a blaze tore through parts of the complex. It was eventually brought under control and the main building was saved.

After one particularly destructive incursion, NRC reported widespread evidence of vandalism. And they found pots of petrol in the hallway.

There have been numerous reports of vandalism since then. It was becoming clear that it was a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ the building should fall.

Its predecessor has already gone, demolished to create the access road to Tesco.

All in all, an ignominious end to a courageous educational experiment.

Which leaves Antrim Grammar and Parkhall College as the last two standing.