Agenda item

            (Cllr Hussey declared an interest in this item, in that he had taken part in a site visit to the area as a Member of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, but he clarified that he had not made any predetermination in relation to the proposed development and so he remained in the room)

            The Case officer outlined the principal aspects of the major application to the Committee.

            He explained that the application sought outline permission for a mixed use regeneration and development of a surface level car park, the refurbishment of an existing listed Butchers building, and the erection of new fixed use buildings with heights varying between three and nine storeys.

            The Members were advised of the key issues which had been used in the assessment of the proposed development, which included, amongst others, the principle of development, the principle of proposed uses, impact on built heritage, scale, massing, design, traffic and parking and drainage and flooding.

            The case officer 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.

            The case officer drew the Committee’s attention to the Late Items Pack, where he highlighted that a consultation response had been received from the City Regeneration and Development Team.  He outlined the Planning Department’s response to the issues raised.

            He outlined that DfI Roads, Rivers Agency, Belfast City Airport, and Building Control had no objections to the proposals, and that no third party representations had been received.  The Members noted that further information had been requested from Environmental Health and the DAERA Waste Management Unit.

            The Committee was advised that an objection had been received from the Historic Environment Division (HED).  One of its primary concerns was that it felt that the link block extension to the listed building was too narrow.  The case officer explained that a response from HED was outstanding in relation to the most recent plans but that it was likely that its objections remained.  He explained, therefore, that given the objection by a statutory consultee, if the Committee was to grant approval to the application, it would be referred to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI).

            The Committee was advised that Mr. T. Stokes, Mr. A. Stewart and Mr. S. Tyler were in attendance, representing the agent/applicant, and they were welcomed to the meeting by the Chairperson.

            Mr. Stokes requested that the Committee support the applications due to the undernoted reasons:

·        they had undertaken a significant community consultation exercise over and above the statutory requirements, resulting in no objections from third parties;

·        they had held a four day public event, where meetings were held with cultural and community groups, business owners and residents in the area;

·        the proposed development was a high quality proposal to bring life back into a brown field site, including the refurbishment of the listed Butchers building;

·        new pedestrian links through the site with a new public space on site; and

·        during construction the proposals would create 600 jobs.

            In response to a number of Members’ questions, the case officer provided clarity in relation to the proposed two phases of construction and HED Historic Monuments’ access to the site during construction.

            In response to a further Member’s question, the case officer advised the Committee that draft BMAP 2015, as a material planning consideration, set out a number of Urban Design Criteria for the Old City Character Area, one of which related to building heights.  He explained to the Members that the Gresham Street block had 5 storeys, the North Street block had 6 storeys, and Winetavern Street had 9 storeys. The Committee was advised that the heights had been informed by a robust conceptual approach on what was a development opportunity site on a key arterial route into the city centre.

            The Director of Planning and Building Control advised the Members that the remit of HED was focused solely on protecting the historic environment.  He explained that the Planning Department’s role was to strike the balance between protecting historic buildings and ensuring that a level of development continued throughout the city.

            The Case officer’s recommendations, as outlined in the report, were put to the Committee, namely:

      That the Committee approves the applications for outline, full and Listed Building Consent, subject to the imposing of the conditions as outlined in the report, with delegated authority to be given to the Director of Planning and Building Control to finalise the conditions, subject to notification to the DfI and to agree the details of the gable elevation with HED.

            On a vote by show of hands, eleven Members voted for the proposal and three against and it was declared carried.