Larchfield Estate undergoes £117,000 refurbishment

Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots MLA officially opened a £117,000 redevelopment project on the Larchfield Estate in the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council area. Sarah and Gavin Mackie, the owners of Larchfield Estate, redeveloped the ‘Old Piggery’ following an award of £50,000 through the Rural Business Investment Scheme under the LEADER element of the NI Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020. The project was administered by Lagan Rural Partnership (LRP) Local Action Group. Minister Poots is pictured with Sarah and Gavin Mackie at the ‘Oild Piggery’ building on the Larchfield Estate. Photo Simon Graham Photography.

Sarah and Gavin Mackie, the owners of Larchfield Estate, redeveloped the ‘Old Piggery’ following an award of £50,000 through the Rural Business Investment Scheme under the LEADER element of the NI Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020.

The project, which was administered by Lagan Rural Partnership (LRP) Local Action Group, enabled the redevelopment of an existing old building and landscaping of the surrounds to meet the growing demand for a unique, exclusive location for corporate events and special celebrations.

Speaking at the event, Minister Poots said: “Larchfield Estate has a long history in this local area and in recent years has become well renowned as a leading wedding and corporate event venue within Northern Ireland.

“The £50,000 of LEADER funding invested into the redevelopment of the ‘Old Piggery’, together with match funding from Larchfield Estate, has enabled the creation of a new facility which will encourage more guests to come along and enjoy the enhanced experiences that will be on offer.”

Minister Poots added: “Across the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council area the Lagan Rural Partnership Local Action Group has invested over £2.6million of LEADER funding in rural initiatives and I’d like to pay tribute to those Directors of the Local Action Group who give up of their time freely to implement rural development in their local area. Without them my Department could not invest this money.”