Issue - meetings

The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 1st April, had referred the minute of the meeting of the former Shadow Planning Committee of 11th March, under the above-mentioned heading, to the Planning Committee for further consideration. That decision had been taken to enable deputations from both the Danske Bank and the Belfast Telegraph to attend a future meeting to outline their concerns at proposals by the NIEA to list their corporate headquarters. A copy of the minute of the meeting of 11th March is set out hereunder: 

“Listing and De-Listing of Buildings

      The Committee was advised that correspondence had been received from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) seeking the Council’s views in respect of proposals which had been formulated for the listing and de-listing of a number of buildings in Belfast. The Committee agreed with the Agency’s proposals to list the following buildings:

·        The Synagogue, Somerton Road 

·        Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children

·        Microbiology Building, Grosvenor Road  

·        External Waiting Hall - Royal Victoria Hospital

·        Direct Wine Shipments, Corporation Square

·        Congregational Church, 101-103 Donegall Street

·        1 Victoria Square

·        4, 5 and 6 Murray Street

·        Central Hall, Rosemary Street

·        1-5 Castle Lane and 23-29 Cornmarket

·        13-17 Grosvenor Road

·        War Memorial Building, 9 Waring Street

·        McCracken’s Bar, Joy’s Entry

·        Belfast Telegraph Offices, 124-144 Royal Avenue    

Dankse Bank – Donegall Square West

      The Committee was advised that a letter had been received from representatives of Danske Bank requesting that that it would agree not to support a proposal to list the bank’s corporate headquarters in Donegall Square West. The letter had indicated that the building acted as the bank’s regional operations centre for the island of Ireland and added that the listing of the building could impose unnecessary constraints on the ability of the bank to upgrade or re-develop its headquarters.

      The Committee noted the information which had been received but agreed that it was minded, given its unique architectural and contemporary style, to support the proposal to list the building.”

After discussion, the Committee agreed to affirm the minute of 11th March, with the exception of the decisions to support the proposals by the NIEA to list the headquarters of the Danske Bank and the Belfast Telegraph.  It was agreed to invite representatives of the Danske Bank and the Belfast Telegraph, together with representatives of the NIEA, to the Committee’s meeting in May to discuss the aforementioned proposals.