Cold War Bunker Near Kilrea Could Be Repurposed Under New Plans

A disused Cold War monitoring bunker outside Kilrea could be brought back into use under new plans submitted to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.

The proposal relates to a former Royal Observer Corps (ROC) underground monitoring post on Blackrock Road, around 110 metres south-west of a nearby dwelling. The structure is one of only five surviving ROC bunkers in Northern Ireland and was originally built in 1962 as part of a UK-wide network designed to monitor nuclear fallout during the Cold War.

The bunker was decommissioned in 1991 following the end of the Cold War and later restored by Bushvally Radio Club in 2014. It has since remained largely unused.

Under the plans, the existing reinforced concrete bunker would be retained and adapted, with a new building proposed above and alongside it. The underground space would be incorporated into the overall layout of the scheme, with planning documents indicating it could be used for domestic storage and specialist uses such as a wine cellar .

The proposed structure has been designed to sit low in the landscape, with parts of the building set into the ground to reduce visual impact and echo the bunker’s original subterranean form.

The proposed building would feature a simple pitched roof and agricultural-style corrugated metal cladding, intended to reflect the rural character of the surrounding area.

The planning submission argues that the scheme would help preserve a rare element of Northern Ireland’s Cold War heritage. Of the 59 ROC monitoring posts originally constructed across Northern Ireland, only five are believed to remain intact. The application states that adapting the structure for future use would help secure its long-term maintenance while retaining its historic fabric.

Similar bunker reuse projects elsewhere in the UK are cited in support of the proposal, including schemes in Dorset and the Isle of Wight.