Riverside Parks initial phases were developed in the 1970’s, its vision was to be a linear open green space and wildlife corridor, primarily concentrating on leisure provision and amenity value, and has since been developed over the years for its biodiversity value too, which is dominated by the Ballymoney River flowing through its heart.
The parks riverside walks and cycle path are enjoyed by a wide variety of people and benefits greatly from its close proximity to the town centre.
The park allows easy access for people to get close to nature, with its varied riverside habitats including woodland, wet grassland and the river.
The main feature of the park is the Ballymoney River, which meanders through its entire length creating a focal point around which the park has been planned. The river itself begins life as the Breckagh Burn and flows some 8km to the River Bann where it enters just north of the Agivey Bridge.
The river and wet meadows have a good diversity of species including otters, heron, brown trout, sedges, meadow sweet, cow parsley and cuckoo flower. The river also boasts kingfisher and dipper.
The woodland area consists of mature poplars, with sycamore, birch, ash beech, willow and hawthorn and a good ground flora that include bluebells and celandine. There is a large variety of common garden birds including, gold crests, blue and great tits, along with tree creeper.
The woodland also provides good habitat for many species including mammals such as bats, hedgehogs, foxes and field mice as well as nesting birds such as robins and wrens.
The diversity of habitats within the park is also excellent for many insects including moths and butterflies such as the orange tip, speckled wood, tortoiseshell and ringlet.
