Agenda item

(Councillor Murphy left the meeting at this point)

            The Principal Planning officer presented the principal aspects of each of the three applications to the Committee.

            She explained that application LA04/2019/0081/F had previously been scheduled for determination at the Planning Committee meeting on 11th June, 2019, with a recommendation for refusal.  She advised the Members that the application had been withdrawn from that agenda to enable the consideration of the proposed terms of a Section 76 Agreement in respect of mitigating against the proposed loss of open space.

            The Committee was advised that the original report of June 2019 had cited two reasons for refusal, namely, the loss of open space and the under-provision of amenity space for the proposed development.  She confirmed that, notwithstanding those issues, the proposal was otherwise acceptable in terms of its design, height, scale and mass, as well as access and parking.  The Members were therefore advised that the addendum report only sought to deal with the original reasons for refusal and that the original report from June 2019 should be considered alongside it.

            The Principal Planning officer outlined that, historically, the site was in use as a substantial area of open space, incorporating a bowling green and a clubhouse/social club.  She highlighted that residential development had been granted on the site subject to a replacement recreational social club being provided to off-set the loss of open space.  The Members were advised that the provision of the recreational social club, in combination with the social housing to be provided, was the justification for setting aside Policy OS1 of PPS8 – Open Space, Sport and Recreation and granting the proposal.

            The Committee was advised that the current application proposed an apartment block in place of the social recreation club.  Following the publication of the officer report in June 2019, the applicant had submitted a Section 76 Agreement setting out terms to offset the loss and under provision of recreation facilities by offering to provide a financial contribution of over £52,000 towards improvements to the King George V Playing Fields.  The Principal Planning officer explained that the Playing Fields were eight minutes walk from the site.  She outlined that, in accordance with Policy OS1, the combination of the associated community benefits were considered, on balance, to decisively outweigh the loss of the provision of the recreation club and the shortage in the amenity provision.

            The Members were advised that Environmental Health, Rivers Agency, the BCC Tree Officer and NIHE had all offered no objection to the proposal. 

            The Principal Planning officer drew the Members’ attention to the Late Items pack, whereby DfI had advised that the Private Streets Determination drawing submitted had addressed technical matters and that the application now proposed one car parking space provided per unit in addition to covered bicycle parking.

            She drew the Members’ attention to the two linked applications, LA04/2019/0082/F and LA04/2019/0083/F, which were Section 54 applications to remove condition 2 of planning permission Z/2010/0434/F and LA04/2015/0075/F respectively, which stated that “no part of the residential development hereby permitted, shall be occupied until the social club was constructed and in operation”. 

            The Case officer explained that the applicant sought removal of the conditions given that the Maple Leaf Club had closed and that there was no replacement occupier.  She explained that the removal of the condition would enable the granting of LA04/2019/0081/F and that the developer contributions outlined would contribute to the Belfast Agenda priorities of Living Here and City Development and the Local Development Plan Strategic Aims of Shaping a Liveable Place, a Green and Active Place and a Smart, Connected and Resilient Place.

            The Committee was advised that Mr T. Stokes, the agent, was in attendance to answer any queries from the Committee but no questions were posed by Members.

            The Committee then considered each application in turn.

            It granted approval to:

·        application LA04/2019/0081/F, subject to the imposing of the conditions set out within the case officer’s report and delegated power to the Director of Planning and Building Control for the final wording of the conditions and the Section 76 Agreement;

·        application LA04/2019/0082/F, subject to the completion of the Section 76 Agreement and conditions under planning permission LA04/2019/0081/F; and

·        application LA04/2019/0083/F, subject to the completion of the Section 76 Agreement and conditions under planning permission LA04/2019/0081/F.

(The Committee adjourned for a ten minute break at this point)

(Councillor Murphy re-joined the meeting at this point)