Agenda item

            The Planning Manager summarised the application for the Committee and highlighted the following key items for consideration:

·        Principle of PBMSA in this location;

·        Design and placemaking;

·        Impact on heritage assets;

·        Impact on amenity;

·        Climate change;

·        Open space;

·        Access and transport;

·        Health impacts;

·        Environmental protection;

·        Flood risk and drainage;

·        Waste-water infrastructure;

·        Natural heritage;

·        Waste management;

·        Section 76 planning agreement; and

·        Pre-Application Community Consultation.

            He explained that, since the publication of the report, the Council’s Waste Management Team had provided a response which had offered no objection to the application and he pointed out that, whilst the waste storage exceeded 30 metres from the collection point, this could be mitigated at the Building Control stage of the application.

            He stated that the Council’s Environmental Health had indicated that a robust management plan was required to address the impacts from the outdoor amenity areas, to include restriction of the hours of use of the terraces to between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. and recommended that a solid glazed screen should surround the terraces, rather than railings.  The Planning manager advised the Committee that these matters could be controlled by a condition and through a Section 76 planning agreement.

            He reported that, having regard to the Development Plan and material considerations, it was recommended that Planning Permission be granted, subject to conditions and a Section 76 planning agreement.

            The Chairperson welcomed Mr. P. Stinson, Turley, and Mr. C. McGowan, Queen’s University, Belfast, to the meeting.

            Mr. Stinson stated that he welcomed the recommendation to grant planning permission, having worked proactively with officers to provide a design and layout which was acceptable and met a student housing need.

            He explained that he had worked closely with Kainos to ensure that, together, they would deliver regeneration of the whole site and stated that the planning process to date had supported the critical timeline for the project which aimed to have student occupation for the beginning of the 2026/27 academic year.

            Mr. McGowan stated that, since its formation in 1845, Queen’s University (QUB) had been a significant stakeholder in the development of Belfast, providing beneficial economic impact and that, in 2021, the total economic impact on the UK economy, associated with the University’s activities, was estimated at over £3 billion.

            He explained that QUB currently had over 24,000 students and almost 5,000 staff, and that the university owned and managed over 3,500 beds across its accommodation sites.  He stated that the private rental sector was under continued pressure, exacerbated by shortages in social housing provision and the use of rental properties as Airbnb’s. 

            He referred to the case officer’s report, which stated that higher education providers had estimated that approximately 6,000 additional student beds were required across the city in the forthcoming years and he stated that the application was the first step in addressing the increasing demand for student accommodation in Belfast city centre.

            He concluded by stating that, in response to the ongoing global climate crisis, the project had been designed as the university’s first Passivhaus certified project, which underlined QUB’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and its Net Zero Plan, and that planning permission for the development would enable QUB to enter into a contract with GRAHAM for the construction of what would be the largest Passivhaus certified building on the island of Ireland.

            In response to a comment from a Member with regard to the traders who were trading on the site as part of a meanwhile use project, the Director of Planning and Building Control stated that she would be happy to engage with the applicant to establish what action had been taken to date and then work with colleagues in City Regeneration and Development to see whether alternative locations could be found.

            The Committee granted planning permission, subject to conditions and a Section 76 planning agreement and delegated authority to the Director of Planning and Building Control to finalise the wording of the conditions and Section 76 planning agreement and to deal with any other issues that might arise, provided that the issues were not substantive.