A new social housing estate for West Belfast has been approved despite warnings at City Hall that the plan involved “poor place making” in a space that was “in the middle of an industrial site”.
Belfast City Council ’s planning officers this week recommended that elected representatives reject a plan for a social housing led, mixed tenure residential development of 139 units at the former Kennedy Enterprise Centre, north of Westwood Shopping Centre, Blackstaff Road, Belfast BT11.
The plan involves 52 dwelling houses and 87 apartments, with public open space, a children's play park, landscaping, car parking, associated site works and infrastructure and access arrangements from Blackstaff Road. The developer, Johncorp (No.2) Ltd, care of Rushmere House Cadogan Park, has promised a baseline of 80 percent social housing at the development.
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Despite the recommendation for rejection, the plan was carried through at the council’s Planning Committee with nine votes in favour from Sinn Féin, Alliance, the SDLP, the Green Party, and People Before Profit, to four votes against the plan from the DUP, UUP and PUP. UUP Alderman Jim Rodgers said the plan was “not suitable" as “it was in the middle of an industrial site.”
The Andersonstown site lies between Milltown cemetery to its north and the M1, adjacent to the Westwood Shopping Centre and close to the Kennedy Centre.
It is immediately surrounded by Asda, Lidl, both with service delivery yards immediately neighbouring the site, a refrigerator trailer park, a council waste recycling site, a 24 hour printing/packaging business, a wholesale distributor of fresh food produce, and a fish products premises.
The neighbouring businesses have unrestricted operational times for access/activities. At least four of the neighbouring businesses currently operate at night as well as during the day.
The council planning report on the application states: “Surrounding lands in the immediate context are all in non-residential uses. Officers consider that the introduction of a residential development in this area would not be compatible with the surrounding existing land uses, some of which operate 24/7.
“Furthermore, many of the existing businesses in the area operate unrestricted hours/noise levels and in addition would benefit from permitted development rights to expand or change within their current 'use class'. The development has the potential to adversely impact upon existing businesses should it be approved.”
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has projected a housing need of 1,107 homes for Middle West Belfast for 2022-27. The waiting list in that part of the city has increased by 48 percent since 2017.
A council officer said: “Allocations have fluctuated but there remains a considerable gap between demand and supply. Singles, small families and large families exhibit the highest level of demand.
“Housing need is a planning consideration, which supports the case for the granting of planning permission. However, it is considered that the site is an unsuitable environment for housing because of noise conflicts and other reasons explained.” The officer added the application represented “poor place making.”
The council’s senior urban design officer raised design concerns including the outlook from proposed units, pedestrian routes through the site, linear parking areas, boundary treatments and articulation of apartments/houses.
One objection was received from an adjoining business, raising concerns regarding safety risk, traffic impact and impact on/of adjoining existing businesses. The Stormont Department for Infrastructure Roads Division submitted a rejection but with further amendments from the developer these are to be reconsidered.
The council planning report states: “The objection received from a neighbouring business (Huhtamaki) advises that it operates 24/7 and that its waste extraction and compactors operate at night. The objection also states that HGV traffic pass through adjacent on a high frequency basis and 24 hours per day and have raised concerns regarding noise issues/complaints arising from new residents.
“The objection also raises concerns regarding air quality, smell and pest complaints as a result of existing operators in the area.”
Sinn Féin Councillor Ryan Murphy said: “There really is a limited amount of land that can be used for housing developments out there. When we are talking about areas of high housing demand, we need to be inventive - that is the challenge that is in front of us.
“I know it can be easy to sit and think, how can we speak on what wouldn’t normally be considered an ideal piece of land to be used for housing? But I think we really need to have a look at it and see how we can make it so that land can be used.
“Looking at the drawings, to be fair to (the developer), especially with things like the space in the gardens, the additional planting, the additional open spaces put into this development - it shows how you could make these developments work in this context.
“Essentially what they are doing is building a community in its own right within the confines of that wider space.”
He added: “(While) looking over some of the refusal reasons that have been put forward in terms of poor living environment, poor outlook and everything else - I am near sure every councillor in this room deals with housing cases on a daily basis, people under housing stress, people living on sofas, people being told the only temporary accommodation they can be given is in Derry or Ballymena.
“People are living in houses that are severely overcrowded, with nine, ten family members all living under one roof. That’s a poor living environment, that’s a poor outlook.
“That’s when the challenge comes back to us, around what we can do as councillors in this committee, and make the tough decisions when needed.”
He added: “I am content in my own moral conscience about what I think is acceptable and what is not, and I think it does meet planning policy, it is a good proposal in front of us, with good quality housing.”
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