Further progress has been made in the long awaited £50million revamp of Queen’s Parade in Bangor.
In March the Co Down resort, which was recently awarded city status to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, received a welcome boost with news that the regeneration project had finally been given the green light.
The project had been held up in a Stormont department for over a year due to flooding concerns.
Read more: Developer submits revised schedule of works for Queen’s Parade redevelopment in Bangor
Ards and North Down Council proposed to approve Bangor Marine’s planning application in January 2021 but because of an objection by a statutory consultee, this decision had to be reviewed by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI)
This process took 13 months before DfI then returned the planning application to council and required a ‘pre-determination hearing’ to be held, to enable any interested party the opportunity of speaking to the members of the Planning Committee, prior to it making a formal decision on the application.
The required meetings took place this week when members voted unanimously to approve Bangor Marine's planning application.
The council, Bangor Marine and the Department for Communities will now work together to finalise the legal agreement. When signed, the council will then be able to issue the formal planning permission to Bangor Marine.
The proposed scheme will see extensive work to a run-down area of the city. It aims to transform the seafront area and those living there have been waiting more than 20 years for the site to be redeveloped.
Elected council members as well as local residents had become increasingly incensed at the hold up by the Rivers Agency.
DfI said it had been carrying out an assessment on the planning application in relation to it falling within the flood inundation zone of Clandeboye Lake.
The lake is over two miles away, and land between the lake and the seafront had continued to see planning applications approved without interventions.
Bangor Marine has confirmed that once the formal decision notice is received, the company will progress through a process of detailed design and securing contracts and materials with the aim of being on site in Bangor within 12 months.
Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Karen Douglas has welcomed the latest progress.
She said: “It’s great news that Bangor Marine has now cleared this key hurdle in the planning process for this critical investment programme.
“We look forward to the company being able to push on with getting everything in place to commence actual construction work – something I cannot wait to see.”
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