Introduction
Lying a short distance north of the city of Belfast on the shores of Belfast Lough, Newtownabbey is a tourist gateway to the beautiful nine glens of Antrim and the magnificent Antrim coast. With its prominent suburban position at the heart of Northern Ireland’s business belt the area enjoys fast access to Northern Ireland’s two main airports and ports by means of its first-class road and rail infrastructure. Newtownabbey has several major international companies which sit comfortably alongside small and medium-sized businesses. There is also a strong agricultural base, chiefly in the fertile Ballyclare and surrounding area.
Population
Newtownabbey has a population of approximately 80,000 with a density of 536 persons per square kilometre. Over 60% of the population are of working age (16-65).
Housing
The number of households in Newtownabbey totals 31,302. 75% of these are owner occupied and of the remaining 25%, 17.5% are rented by the NIHE, 5.6% rented by private landlord and the remainder by other social renting arrangements.
Employment Profile and Business Structure
Newtownabbey has a current unemployment rate of 2.9% (Northern Ireland average 5%). The current economic activity rate in the area (those of working age who are economically active) is 76.9%. Surveys show that Newtownabbey has a lower dependence on public sector employment and a higher dependence on the private sector in comparison to Northern Ireland as a whole. Telecoms and engineering firms characterise the area’s industry. Based on this strong platform, Newtownabbey has developed as a key ICT design and manufacturing location; the Canadian multinational Nortel is a leading employer in the area. The expanding Abbeycentre shopping complex and immediate area accommodates many leading national and local retail outlets.
Education and Training
Based in Newtownabbey are the East Antrim Institute of Further and Higher Education (EAIFHE) and the University of Ulster at Jordanstown (UUJ). Both produce a highly skilled workforce and well trained graduates.
The University of Ulster (the largest in Ireland) has a student population of around 12,000 at its Jordanstown campus. Many companies in the area have strong links with the University, attracted by its Science and Technology Incubation Unit for graduate and postgraduate study.
Policing
The Newtownabbey District Command Unit has its headquarters on the Shore Road near Whiteabbey village with two other police stations at Glengormley and Ballyclare.
The area is divided into four sectors, each commanded by an Inspector, which are coterminous with the District Electoral Areas of Antrim Line, Macedon, University and Ballyclare. Each sector has a Community and Police Forum.
The police commander is fully committed to developing policing with the community having regard to resources at his disposal. He values the development of working in partnership with the District Policing Partnership and Community Liaison groups in identifying the issues of greatest concern to the community and providing a policing service that is sensitive of and responsive to, the local community’s needs, fears and expectations.
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