Residents’ fury as £3m apartments plan gets approval
RESIDENTS in south Belfast have expressed their anger after City Hall gave the green light to a controversial £3m plan to build apartments at a church.
Windsor Baptist Church had submitted revised proposals for the development at Malone Avenue after a backlash from residents.
The church was seeking permission to knock down its existing building and construct 22 apartments and associated car parking on the site.
The building was put forward for approval by Belfast City Council planners last month, despite more than 100 fresh objections.
Councillors at last night’s committee backed the plan following a site visit.
Conor Doyle, secretary of the Lower Malone Residents Association, criticised the decision.
He said: “It’s hugely disappointing the Planning Committee has chosen to endorse a scheme that is too big for this site and which we believe goes against planning policy that exists to protect established residential areas.
“Yet again the planning service and councillors have failed the Lower Malone Area, favouring high density apartments over more community friendly development which would have been far more suitable for this site.”
A spokesman for Belfast City Council tweeted: “Planning permission has been granted for a new development of 22 apartments on Malone Avenue in the south of the city.”
Residents objecting to the plan have raised issues with the infrastructure not being in place for the size of buildings, parking, waste and noise and the develop- ment not being in keeping with the townscape character of the area.
Addressing these issues, planners said: “It is acknowledged in the immediate context of the application site, there are lower density semi-detached properties.
“However, this is not the dominant density along Malone Avenue which also consists of HMO (houses of multiple occupation) properties and flats contained within the terraces and the larger flatted developments at the Lisburn Road end.
“Therefore, the proposed density would not be out of keeping with the context of Malone Avenue.”
Planning permission was yesterday also granted for a new sports dome at Colin Park on Blacks Road. The Planning Committee also agreed with a proposal to list terraced buildings in College Square East and Ashby Building at Queen’s University, among other buildings. And it agreed to hold a pre-determination hearing for a major application on land between Royal Avenue and North Street in the city.