The Housing Executive says it “strongly believes that this outcome could set an undesirable precedent and risks worsening existing housing pressures”
A controversial planning application for two new 100 percent social housing apartment blocks at the site of the old Havelock House building in South Belfast appears to have cleared the final hurdle of approval, amidst shambolic scenes at City Hall.
At the November meeting of the Belfast City Council Planning Committee on Tuesday, elected representatives approved the planning application after a series of votes, during a fraught debate over the 100 percent social housing aspect of the application.
During the planning hearing the Alliance Party changed its position from initially being against the application, to being in support. The DUP voted against the application, having voted in favour of it in previous hearings.
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In the end, a fourth poll on the matter saw 12 votes in favour of the application from Sinn Féin, Alliance, the SDLP and the Green Party, and 7 votes against from the DUP, and the UUP. It was declared carried.
A poll at the start of the hearing saw nine votes in favour of the application from Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Green Party, and 10 votes against from the DUP, Alliance and the UUP.
The Alliance Party changed its position after failing to get through a proposal to reject the application on the basis of the social housing mix. Alliance originally backed an argument by the Housing Executive that the area needed a more mixed housing tenure, namely an 80 percent social housing component with 20 percent other tenure.
During the meeting, the DUP also failed to get through a proposal to reject the application on the basis of design. Before this hearing the party had consistently voted in favour of the application.
Earlier this year in the summer it was revealed that the initial approval for the planning application by the council last December had been held up by Stormont for further consideration. A council officer confirmed at City Hall in July that the Stormont Department for Infrastructure had placed a “holding direction” on the highly disputed application for 100 percent social housing apartment blocks at the site of the old Havelock House building in South Belfast.
Nearly a year after the application was first approved by the council, the plan was returned to City Hall this week after the Stormont department at last declined from “calling-in” or reversing the council decision.
Despite more than 500 objections being lodged and concerns from the Housing Executive over the 100 percent social housing, last December councillors approved the application from developer Genova North West Limited, of Banbridge, in conjunction with Clanmil Housing Association. They repeated that approval on Tuesday evening, but with different numbers.
The £25million plan involves the erection of 104 residential units across two detached blocks, ranging between three and five storeys, at Havelock Place, BT7. Demolition of the old building began in January 2024.
An appeal in March this year by the Donegall Pass Residents Association to defer the decision for further consultation with the local community was dismissed, when councillors reaffirmed their position. On a vote on the development then, 15 elected representatives backed the proposal, from Sinn Féin, the DUP, Alliance and the Green Party, to three who were against the proposal, from Alliance.
A total of 52 third party representations were received by the council, including a petition objecting to the proposal with 462 signatories, 49 further letters of objection, one letter of a “mixed response,” and one letter objecting to the petition. None of the statutory consultees objected to the application, and council officers recommended the application for approval.
At Tuesday’s Planning Committee meeting, a representative from the Housing Executive said: “I must be clear that the Housing Executive supports the provision of social housing on this site on a mixed tenure basis. While we acknowledge and respect the decision of the Department for Infrastructure not to call in this application, the Housing Executive strongly believes that this outcome (the 100 percent social housing approval) could set an undesirable precedent and risks worsening existing housing pressures, and one which does not reflect the council’s own plans.
“It is vital that decisions and schemes of this scale reflect the strategic housing need and long term community impacts. We fully endorse the original recommendation for a mixed-tenure development comprising 84 social rented units, with the remaining 20 units delivered for another tenure. This mixed-tenure position has been consistently communicated throughout the application process.”
She said: “This is a mono-tenure scheme, and it does not reflect the mixed-tenure approach that is essential to building inclusive, resilient communities. Approving this application in its current form risks setting a concerning precedent, one that could undermine the integrity of both adopted and emerging Local Development Plans, not only here but across other council areas.”
She said the Ormeau area already had 35 percent social housing stock, significantly higher than the Belfast average of 26 percent, while the owner occupied rate in the area stands at 20 percent, compared to a city-wide average of 51 percent.
Peter McDonald, of the Donegall Pass Community Forum, said at the meeting: “This proposal is by no means social housing. It is purpose-built accommodation for the profit of the developer and the profit of the Housing Association.
“This community does not have a choice, it does not have a meaningful voice, it has not been engaged with, and has not participated in the design of this.” DUP Alderman Dean McCullough said during the meeting that “the entire Donegall Pass” was against the application.
Council planning officers wrote: “It is recommended that the social housing requirement for this scheme should be set at a maximum of 84 residential units (80 percent), but with potential allowance for up to 100 percent social housing, should the issues be satisfactorily addressed and subject to approval from the council in consultation with NIHE.”
They added: “The site is a suitable and highly sustainable location for housing; the proposal would make effective use of previously developed land and would support city centre living.”
A representative for the developer told the committee: “Located on a prime city centre site and a key transport route, what is before members is a high quality housing scheme that caters for a mix of needs groups, including general needs, and category one active elderly.
“The scheme provides 104 units which have been broken down into five distinct blocks and set within generous landscaped amenity courtyards, for active and passive enjoyment of residents. The scheme sensitively addresses the adjacent residential areas through several key design features.”
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