Bellarena

Bellarena is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland on the A2 coastal road between Limavady and Coleraine, 11km north of Limavady. It is sometimes referred to as Ballyscullion or Drumavalley. It is designated as a Small Village and in 2001 the population was 291. The village lies within Limavady Borough Council area and the North Derry Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with open views eastwards to the scarp slope of Binevenagh.cite web | title=Bellarena Settlement Designation | work=Planning Service - Draft Northern Area Plan 2016 | url=http://www.planningni.gov.uk/AreaPlans_Policy/Plans/Northern/draft_plan/Volume2/Part6/Villages/Bellarena.htm | accessdate=2008-06-21]

Features

The village is a minor service centre providing retail, community and recreational facilities for the local rural population, including two primary schools that serve the local area. It has had considerable growth in recent years, with new private housing development and improved commercial facilities. The main concentration of development is the large Drumavalley public housing estate and the recently completed private development of Carriage Court.

Tourism

Bellarena has benefited from being close to a range of important tourism facilities including the recreational facilities, beach and caravan parks at Benone, the Magilligan to Greencastle, County Donegal Ferry, and the nearby long-established Ulster Gliding Club at Bellarena Airfield.

Transport

It is on the main railway line between Belfast and Derry and is served by Bellarena railway station, which opened on 18 July 1853. It was closed for goods traffic from 4 January 1965. [cite web | title=Bellarena station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-08-30] The station was closed on 18 October 1976, but re-opened on 28 June 1982. The station buildings are now in private ownership. The stationmaster's house was renovated in the 1980s and is now a dwelling.

Education

*Bellarena Primary School

References