Proposed flats near to Windsor Park knocked back

PLANNING officials in Belfast have knocked back a bid to construct an apartment block near Windsor Park.

The application from the Quinn Family Pension Fund involves 31 apartments over four storeys on a site on Lorne Street, between the Lisburn Road and the stadium.

Planners said the site, which is a vacant former office and industrial premises, is not in keeping with the overall character and environmental quality of the area.

In a report to go before the committee next Tuesday, it states: “It is considered that the proposed development does not respect the surrounding context, is inappropriate to the character of the site, the design does not draw upon the best local traditions of form, materials and detailing and it will have an unacceptable adverse effect on the proposed property in terms of loss of light, overshadowing and poor outlook for residents.”

Meanwhile, the green light has been granted for a social housing project featuring 22 dwellings next to the Owen O’Cork Mill on the Beersbridge Road in east Belfast.

The application from Radius Housing Association involves demolishing an existing building and constructing 12 apartments in one block, eight semi-detached and two bungalows.

The site was previously for retail, car repairs and car storage.

Despite planners accepting that the development does not fully comply with policy and acknowledging the issues expressed by the Historic Environment Division, its report said the decision to approve “is balanced against the recognised need for social housing as identified by NIHE and the adjacent residential areas to the north and west, which may experience a negative impact to character and amenity if the site was to be re-used for economic development”.