Extending Sunday trading hours for larger premises won’t benefit small, local businesses, the president of Ballymoney’s Chamber of Commerce has said.

This comes as a public consultation has been launched on the proposal to designate Coleraine and Ballymoney as “holiday resorts”.

Under the proposal, larger shops would open earlier on 18 Sundays, between March and September.

Glyn Roberts, Chief Executive of Retail NI said: “This is not about tourism, this is about the large supermarkets trying to exploit a loophole in the legislation.”

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council launched the consultation to gauge opinion on the idea.

The local authority has already designated Portrush, Portstewart and Ballycastle as holiday resorts.

Winnie Mellet, President of Ballymoney Chamber of Commerce is against the proposal.

“We should be trying to safeguard our independent shops. I think it is an excuse for the bigger shops,” she said.

“The smaller, independent grocery shops currently have a bit of time before supermarkets open up (on a Sunday), where it gives them some extra business.”

Winnie also doesn’t believe it would lead to increased footfall for the town or encourage her to open her clothes shop on Sunday afternoons.

“I definitely wouldn’t open on a Sunday. I wouldn’t ask my staff to work on a Sunday.

“A good few of my staff have small families and it’s the only time they get to spend with them.”

She said while Ballymoney’s high street does attract people who are visiting the north coast, she doesn’t consider it a tourist town.

“Ballymoney was always known as a rural town. We would have classed ourselves as the gateway to the Causeway.”

Mr Roberts said: “Councils should be doing more to protect local independent retailers who would be seriously disadvantaged by this proposals.

“The current Sunday trading laws are already a compromise between shop workers, independent retailers and other stakeholders.

“We believe that some of our members that can open up on Sunday morning, below 3000 sq ft, this gives them a small step up,” Mr Roberts added.

“We don’t believe there is the support for this in Coleraine or Ballymoney, I think many of the independent retailers are completely opposed to it.”

He suggested that “something different” could be done on Sunday mornings, instead of “just [opening] the big supermarkets”.

The “fantastic” independent retailers in Ballymoney and Coleraine should be promoted, he added.

“It’s great offering consumers something different and distinctive.”

People in Ballymoney have mixed views on the proposal.

One student said: “It’s better that they open later on the Sundays because it gives workers a chance to rest.”

Another said they disagreed with calling the town a holiday resort.

“I think the most tourist town is probably Portrush, not Ballymoney. There are very few things to do here.”

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s consultation on the proposal closes on Friday 8 March 2025.

Similar applications have been made in other parts of Northern Ireland.

Newry, Ballynahinch and Londonderry have all been granted “resort status”, however, applications last year failed in Bangor, Hollywood and Newtownards.