Agenda and minutes

            Apologies were reported on behalf of Aldermen Campbell and R. Patterson andCouncillors Garrett and Newton.

            The minutes of the meetings of 6th and 20th February were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council, at its meeting on 3rd March, subject to the omission of those matters in respect of which the Council had delegated its powers to the Committee.

            Councillor Haire declared an interest in relation to item 2, George Best Belfast City Airport – Planning Agreement Modification, insofar as he was a member of the Belfast City Airport Forum. 

            The Chairman, on behalf of the Committee, welcomed to the meeting Councillor McCabe, who had replaced Councillor M. E. Campbell.

            (Mrs. S. Wylie, Director of Health and Environmental Services, and Mrs. S. Toland, Head of Environmental Health, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Director of Health and Environmental Services submitted, for the Committee’s consideration, the undernoted report:

“1           Relevant Background Information.

1.1          George Best Belfast City Airport (GBBCA) is located on the southern shore of Belfast Lough adjacent to the A2 Sydenham By-Pass and is a key strategic gateway to the province. The 121 hectare site is situated on reclaimed lands within the Harbour Estate. The site is owned by the Belfast Harbour Commissioners and is leased to GBBCA.

1.2          GBBCA is an asset owned by the EISER Infrastructure Fund. It is a regional airport serving a range of destinations, mainly in Great Britain and Ireland with some European destinations. In 2013, it catered for around 2.54 million passengers, representing approximately 30% of the air traffic to and from Northern Ireland.

1.3          The Airport is a significant local employer and it is estimated that there are around 1,250 full time equivalent staff working across a range of services and facilities, with over a third of these resident within Belfast itself.

1.4          In March 2012, GBBCA submitted a request to the Department of the Environment (DoE) to vary the terms of its 1997 Planning Agreement established under Article 40(A) of the Planning (NI) Order 1991 and modified in 2008. The Airport requested that the seats for sale restriction be removed and replaced with a noise control contour and noise control measures. Members considered this application and a previous response was forwarded to the Department in June 2012.

1.5          Following completion of a public consultation exercise, the Department requested additional information in relation to noise, habitats and traffic. A revised proposal has now been received. This report summarises the key aspects of the revised proposal and officers have prepared a draft response for Members to consider. This is attached as Appendix 1 to this report. The revised proposal from the Airport updates and supersedes previous documents.

1.6          GBBCA is the only airport in UK with a departing ‘seats for sale’ restriction employed as a means of regulating noise. 

1.7          Noise contours are like geographic contour lines on a map, however, instead of height, they indicate areas that are exposed to specified noise levels over a given time period. In the case of airports, noise contours are typically denoted by the Equivalent Continuous Level (Leq) over the 16-hour daytime period from 07:00 until 23:00. An equivalent continuous level (Leq) of 57dB(A) over the 16-hour daytime period has been identified by the Department for Transport, as the level at which the onset of significant community annoyance is likely; 2003 White Paper ’The Future of Air Transport’, chapter 3 - Environmental Impacts.

1.8          Increasingly, Planning Authorities across the United Kingdom are moving towards conditions that relate directly to noise exposure, such as noise contour limits, combined with sophisticated ways of monitoring compliance with these limits. Contours can incentivise  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

            It was reported that correspondence had been received from various statutory bodies, agencies and other organisations in respect of the undernoted:

            Notification from the Roads Service of:

·          the Statutory Rule and associated maps in relation to the M1/Trunk Road T3 and M1-M2 Link (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2014;

·          the removal of a disabled parking bay at 6 Ravenhill Parade;

·          the provision of accessible blue badge parking bays at:

?       101 Tildarg Street; and

?       22 Wheatfield Crescent;

·          the proposed abandonment at Templemore Avenue.

            Notification from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive of:

·          the extinguishment of public rights of way on portions of footway and roadway to the front of 172 to 178 and 190 to 202 Ballysillan Avenue; portions of footway to the rear of 69 to 71, 77 and 172 to 178 Ballysillan Avenue; and the footway to the side of 196 Ballysillan Avenue;

·          the formal notice in relation to the making of a Vesting Order for Moltke Street; and

·          the operative date for a Vesting Order at Loughview Terrace and other lands.

            Copies of the letters, maps and orders relating to the above-mentioned matters were made available at the meeting for the information of the Members.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided.

            The Members were informed that a request had been received from the West Belfast Area Working Group for the Committee to receive deputations from the Fold Housing Group and the Finaghy Road North/Blacks Road Residents at a future meeting to discuss in further detail the application related to the mixed use development at the former Visteon site.

            The Committee agreed to receive the deputations as outlined.

            The Committee noted that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on 21st February, had, given that the Local Government Elections were due to take place on 22nd May, agreed that all Committee meetings in May should be cancelled to allow Members to concentrate on the forthcoming European Parliament and Local Council Elections. 

            The Committee agreed not to hold any meetings in May and that authority be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Party Leaders and the Chairmen of the Strategic Policy and Resources and the Town Planning Committees, to take any urgent decisions, as was routinely set in place during the recess month of July each year.   

            It was reported that correspondence had been received from the Area Planning Office in relation to the above-mentioned matter which had indicated that, having considered all the relevant factors, the Planning Service remained of the opinion that the application in respect of the proposed erection of four fascia signs on an existing glazed panel between the ground and first floors was unacceptable and that a decision to refuse would be issued within the near future.

Noted.

76 South Parade, including garage, outbuilding and gate

78 South Parade, including garage and walling

            The Committee was advised that notification had been received from the Department of the Environment, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Article 42 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order, 1991, and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, in respect of the inclusion of the above-mentioned buildings within that organisation’s list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided.

            The Committee noted a list of new planning applications which had been received by the Planning Service from 24th January until 21st February.

            The Committee noted the outcome of a planning appeal in respect of a mixed use regeneration scheme at land at the existing Department of Regional Development surface car park at Frederick Street.

            A list of decisions which had been issued by the Planning Service between 13th February and 26th February in respect of streamlined planning applications was noted by the Committee.

            A list of deferred items, which were still under consideration by the Planning Office, was noted by the Committee.

            At the request of the Planning Service, the undernoted reconsidered item was withdrawn:

            The Committee considered further the undernoted planning applications and adopted the recommendations of the Divisional Planning Manager thereon: