TRANSLINK has resurrected plans for a Lisburn rail halt and park and ride scheme, which would serve a proposed £250 million residential scheme.
It has emerged that Translink has submitted amended proposals for development at the former South Eastern Regional College off the Knockmore Road.
The plans were first mooted in 2014, with Translink stating at the time construction would commence between late 2015 and early 2016, subject to funding and planning permission being secured.
The development never came to fruition though and the 11.8 acre site has remained vacant ever since.
The new proposals for the rail halt and park and ride facility were submitted on November 13.
The plans include 374 car parking spaces, 22 of which are disabled, with two electric charging points.
The Translink development would be a crucial asset to the local area if plans for a 1,300 home residential scheme in the neighbouring area are given the green light.
Dungannon-based Neptune Carleton, a joint venture between UK property developer Neptune Group and the landowning Thornton family, lodged plans in November for one of the largest property and road-build schemes in Northern Ireland in recent years, representing a £250m investment and with the potential to create hundreds of jobs.
The proposals include 1,300 three- and four-bedroom homes and 770,000 sq ft of commercial floorspace, while it also proposes a new 1.6 km road and bridge over the River Lagan to connect the M1 at Sprucefield to a junction at Moira Road/Knockmore Road in the city.
The planned M1-Knockmore link road includes a two-span bridge over the River Lagan and is seen as a the key driver to unlocking the growth of the city at west Lisburn, facilitating the development of the proposed lands at Blaris and a future link to the nearby Maze site.
If approved, the new road will allow for enhanced vehicle movement around the city and enable improved public transport services with new circular bus routes linking the new neighbourhood to the park and ride and rail halt at Knockmore and to the city's bus and rail stations.
