Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillor Carson (Chairperson) and Councillors McKeown and Nicholl.

            No declarations of interest were recorded.

            The Deputy Chairperson welcomed the Members to the Pre-Determination Hearing for the application. 

            He reminded the Members that the objective of the meeting was to focus on the material planning considerations and to facilitate the Committee in making its determination of the application.  The Committee was reminded that no decision may be reached at the Hearing, as Committee Members and planners might wish to consider the views made prior to making a determination at the scheduled Committee meeting later that evening.

            The Principal Planning officer provided the Committee with the principal aspects of the application. 

            He explained that the site lay within the northern part of the city centre, which was poorly defined in terms of land use and built form.  He advised the Committee that it was zoned as an opportunity site in the draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP) and that the proposal would renovate a listed three-storey building, develop an surface level carpark with a piece of high quality architecture which drew upon the industrial heritage of the area, creating a well-defined public space and providing a landmark building on one of the main arterial routes into the city centre.

            He reminded the Committee that it had initially considered the application at its meeting of 11th June, 2019 where it had resolved to approve it with conditions.  The Members were reminded that, under the Planning (Notification of Applications) Direction 2017, it had been necessary to notify the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) because the resolution to approve the application had been contrary to the views of a statutory consultee, namely, the Historic Environment Division (HED).

            The Principal Planning officer explained that the DfI had written to the Council in December confirming that it did not consider it necessary for the application to be referred to it for determination and that, in such circumstances, the Council was required to hold a Pre-Determination Hearing to give the applicant and interested parties the opportunity to appear before and be heard by a Committee of the Council.

            He advised the Committee that the original Committee report and the accompanying Listed Building Consent and Full reports for works to the listed Butchers Building were included in Members’ packs.

            The Principal Planning officer advised that HED objected to the application as it believed that the setting of the Listed Buildings in the vicinity of the site would be affected adversely by the scale and massing of the new buildings.

            He advised the Members that, since the June meeting of the Committee, the Council had received no representations in relation to the application.

            The Deputy Chairperson welcomed Mr. T. Stokes, agent, Mr. S. Tyler, architect, and Mr. A. Stewart, applicant to the meeting.  Together they advised the Committee that they had undertaken extensive consultation in relation to the scheme and highlighted that no objections had been received.  They advised the Members that the application comprised a high quality scheme for a vacant brownfield site, the design of which reflected the historical  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.