Agenda and minutes

            An apology for inability to attend was reported for Councillor Hanvey.

            The minutes of the meeting of 10th March were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 1st April, 2026.

            Councillors D. Douglas and S. Douglas declared an interest in relation to the item under the heading “LA04/2025/2138/F - A blitz memorial sculpture, made from glass fibre reinforced concrete, set on a concrete plinth within the grounds of Westbourne Presbyterian Church - Westbourne Presbyterian Church 149a Newtownards Road” in that they were members of the Church and they left the meeting whilst the item was under consideration.

The Committee noted the site visits.

The Committee noted the proposed abandonment.

            The Committee noted the appeals decisions.

            The Committee noted the planning decisions issued in March, 2026.

            The Committee noted the list of live applications for major development.

The Committee noted the list of Committee decisions which had not yet been issued

            The Committee agreed to delegate to the Director of Planning and Building Control those Local planning applications to which NI Water had objected.

The Principal Planning Officer provided the Committee with an overview of the application and highlighted the following key issues for consideration:

·        The principle of an HMO at the location;

·        Impact on the character and appearance of the surrounding area;

·        Impact on residential amenity;

·        Traffic, parking and access; and

·        Waste and refuse collection.

She reported that 69 third party objections had been received in relation to the application and the concerns raised included proliferation, house values, requirement for family homes, parking, amenity, noise, refuse, antisocial behaviour, sewage and emergency vehicle access.

            She explained that the proposal was compliant with Policy HOU10 in that the 10% HMO threshold on Glencairn Street had not yet been reached and that it was considered that the proposal would not be harmful in terms of traffic, parking, impact on residential amenity or the amenity of the surrounding area.

            She reported that DfI Roads, NIEA and SES had offered no objections to the application and that NI Water had recommended refusal, based on network capacity.

            She stated that it was recommended that the application be approved, subject to conditions.

            The Chairperson welcomed Councillor Verner to the meeting, who attended to speak in objection to the application.

            Councillor Verner explained that she was attending the meeting to seek a refusal of the application and stated that 71 objections had been received in relation to the application citing that it would cause unacceptable harm to residential amenity and parking.

She stated that Waste Management had clearly outlined the current issues with constrained access and that additional bins would further impact on the local residents.  She added that the issues would impact house prices and only serve to erode the residential character of a settled community.

            She stated that Glencairn Street already had extreme parking issues that caused access challenges for essential services that included ambulance and fire service.  She explained that she had been working with a local constituent over the previous year to secure a disabled parking space as, due to the high volume of parked cars, she was having to park over a third of a mile from her property, and she added that she had letters of support from the Council, PSNI and local clergy which acknowledged the current lack of amenity.

            She concluded by stating that, if the application was approved, it would contribute to further over intensification of a narrow residential street, increase parking stress and the erosion of a settled community, and she asked the Committee to reject the application.

            The Chairperson thanked Councillor Verner for her representation and welcomed Mr. Crockard, CBD Architecture, to the meeting, who was speaking on behalf of the applicant.

            Mr. Crockard explained that the applicant was a local landlord who already owned two properties on Glencairn Street, both of which were uninhabitable when he purchased them, and that he fully refurbished them to a high standard and had been well maintained homes which were rented to local families.

He stated that the applicant had recently purchased 29  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

The Committee agreed to defer consideration of the application in order to undertake a site visit.

The Principal Planning Officer summarised the application for the Committee which related to the submission of a Final Noise Impact Assessment prior to commencement of construction of the approved development.

            She explained that the key areas for consideration were the acceptability of the revised trigger for the timing of the requirement to submit a Final Noise Impact Assessment which, if approved, would change from being required prior to the commencement of development to being required prior to the installation of windows and means of ventilation.

            She reported that Environmental Health had offered no objection to the amended condition and that, having regard to the development plan, planning history on the site and other material considerations, the proposed variation to the condition was considered acceptable.

The Committee granted planning permission to vary Condition 5 and delegated authority to the Director of Planning and Building Control to finalise the wording of the conditions.

The Principal Planning Officer provided the Committee with an overview of the application and highlighted the following key areas for consideration:

·        Principle of development;

·        Layout, scale, massing and design and impact on the character and appearance of the area;

·        Open space;

·        Impact on natural heritage;

·        Flood risk;

·        Climate change; and

·        Proposed access and car parking.

She stated that the proposal would be built on an existing all-weather pitch that provided limited value to the school with regard to amenity and recreation and that the proposed facility would enhance the overall sports and recreation facilities of the school and that the benefits would far outweigh the partial loss of open space within the school campus.

            She reported that DfI Roads, DfI Rivers, Environmental Health, NIEA, NI Water and Shared Environmental Services (SES) had all been consulted and had offered no objection to the proposal, and that no letters of representation had been received following the advertising of the application in the local press.

She stated that, having regard to the development plan, planning history on the site, consultee responses and other material considerations, the proposed development for construction of a new Sports Hall, Gymnasium and P.E Facility and footbridge connecting to existing GAA playing field was considered acceptable and that it was recommended that planning permission be granted.

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

The Principal Planning Officer provided the Committee with an overview of the application and outlined the following key areas for consideration:

·             Principle of Development;

·             Affordable housing;

·             Housing density;

·             Housing mix;

·             Adaptable and accessible accommodation;

·             Design and placemaking;

·             Impact on listed building;

·             Climate change;

·             Residential Quality and impact on amenity;

·             Access and transport;

·             Environmental protection;

·             Flood risk and drainage;

·             Waste-water infrastructure;

·             Waste management;

·             Natural heritage; and

·             Section 76 planning agreement.

She reported that a Listed Building Consent had been submitted for the alterations required to the building to facilitate the change of use and that the principle of housing at the location was considered acceptable.  She added that the proposed design was considered to enhance the Conservation Area and that the reuse of the Listed Building was welcomed.

            She stated that no objections had been received from consultees and that one representation had been received which had been addressed within the case officer’s report.

            She reported that, having regard to the Development Plan and other material considerations, it was recommended that planning permission be granted.

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

The Principal Planning Officer summarised the application for the Committee and explained that the application site was a Grade B1 Listed Building situated in the Malone Conservation Area, she highlighted the following key areas for consideration:

·        Impact on Listed Building;

·        Impact on conservation area;

·        Roads/access;

·        Impact on trees;

·        Impact on amenity;

·        Other considerations; and

·        Matters raised in representation.

She reported that there had been one objection from DfC Historic Environment Division and five third-party objections, all of which had been addressed within the case officer’s report.

            She stated that, having regard to the development plan, relevant planning policies and other material considerations, it was considered that the application be approved.

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

The Principal Planning Officer provided the Committee with an overview of the application and referred the Members to the following key issues to consider in assessment of the proposed development:

·          Principle of public house and event space at this location;

·          Impact on amenity;

·          Impact on Conservation Area;

·          Impact on Listed Building;

·          Impact on traffic flow and parking; and

·          Impact existing wastewater infrastructure.

She explained that the application site was located with the city centre boundary in unzoned whiteland within both the BUAP and dBMAP.

            She reported that there had been two previous temporary permissions, that the current application was for permanent permission and that there had been no objections received from consultees that included Environmental Health, DfI Roads, Historic Environment Division and NI Water.

            She stated that the proposal constituted an appropriate city centre use which proposed minimal external changes and would therefore preserve the character and appearance of the Cathedral Conservation Area.

            She stated that, having regard to the development plan, relevant planning policies and other material considerations, the application was considered to be acceptable.

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

The Principal Planning Officer provided the Committee with a summary of the application and explained that the key areas for consideration were that the application site was within the grounds of a Listed Building, DfI Roads and the Historic Environment Division had offered no objections and no third-party representations had been received.

            She stated that, having regard to the development plan and material considerations, it was recommended that planning permission be granted.

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

            The Development Planning and Policy Manager and the Urban Design Officer explained that the Council had developed two Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) documents for Development Opportunities Areas which had been identified within the Belfast Local Development Plan: Plan Strategy 2035, which provided a comprehensive masterplan approach to the development of key areas of the city centre.

            The Committee noted the SPG for DOA_01 Sailortown, Greater Clarendon and City Quays and DOA_07 Cathedral and NE Quarter, and the associated Consultation Reports and approved both for publication.