Ballyholme Yacht Club Water Sports Centre

Council believes our beautiful peninsula affords the opportunity to create a state-of-the-art destination for sports and relaxation; a waterfront park to rival the best in Europe.

Benefiting from both the sheltered waters do Ballyholme Bay and the open waters of Belfast Lough, Ballyholme Yacht Club (BYC), has been identified as a premier location within Northern Ireland for major sailing and water sports events by the Royal Yachting Association.

This family-friendly club currently offers people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to enjoy a range of watersports including sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, power boating, paddle boarding and open water swimming. The club also hosts a number of local, national and international watersports events. 

 The redevelopment of BYC as part of the Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment, would provide Bangor and the wider area, with a world class facility for water sports plus the ability to host more international events. 

The first Public Drop-In Information Session takes place on Saturday 11 October in Ballyholme Yacht Club where residents will get an exclusive first look at early concept proposals for this exciting new chapter in the story of Ballyholme Yacht Club. Two sessions will take place: 10am-12.30pm and 2pm-4pm. 

As part of the wider Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment, the Council—working in partnership with the Club's Development Committee members, and design consultants WH Stephens—will present visionary ideas for the future of this 105 year old landmark. Resident and businesses are encouraged to attend to share their thoughts and provide feedback as we shape what's next.

A major milestone in the BWF Programme was reached as Council Members approved the development agreement for Ballyholme Yacht Club.  The Club's members also overwhelmingly voted to proceed with the redevelopment, giving the go ahead for the initial stage of the process to begin.  Ballyholme Yacht Club Watersports Centre is the first of the five projects within Council's Belfast Region City Deal-funded Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment Programme to get underway. 

Following an extensive tender process, a design team led by Northern Ireland based WH Stephens was appointed to manage, design and deliver the Ballyholme Yacht Club project and associated consultation process.  Work on the design, stakeholder engagement and consultation strategy has already begun, while construction is expected to be completed by 2028.

The redevelopment will enhance Ballyholme Yacht Club's facilities, creating a state-of-the-art destination for water sports for the whole local community, and for Northern Ireland. The aspiration is to widen public participation across all ages and abilities. This aligns with Council's objectives under the Belfast Region City Deal to increase community participation in water sports, attract more visitors to the Borough through major events such as this summer's highly successful European Youth Championships, and provide jobs.

WH Stephens Director Michael Murray said "WH Stephens are delighted to have been appointed as Design Team Lead and Project Managers for the delivery of Ballyholme Yacht Club Water Sports Centre. In conjunction with Ards and North Down Borough Council, we look forward to delivering the future aspirations of Ballyholme Yacht Club, a high-quality community asset in keeping with the strategic objectives of the Bangor Waterfront regeneration works programme and Belfast Regional City Deal investment aims."