A new social housing apartment block has been approved for East Belfast.
At the Belfast City Council April meeting of its Planning Committee, elected representatives agreed to an application to convert The Arches Centre, 11-13 Bloomfield Avenue, BT5, to a '100 percent' social housing development, with 64 units in total, all under the 'affordable' housing bracket.
The works will involve the change of use of the first and second floor of the building to 39 apartments. It will also involve the extension to the second floor for six apartments and the erection of a new third floor for 19 apartments. New solar panels will be placed on the roof.
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The ground floor is in use as retail, Wyse Byse, and the upper floors were last used as Class B1 offices, but are currently vacant. The ground floor will continue to be used for retail.
Planning officials at City Hall recommended the plan for approval. There were no third party representations submitted to the council.
The planning report on the application states: “In the Belfast Urban Area Plan 2001, the site is zoned as an area of business development potential. The site is located within the development limit of the city and within a district centre in the most recent version of the draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015. It adjoins but is not within an area of townscape character.
“The ground floor is to be retained as retail and as such there will be no impact on the role of the district centre as a place for retail and commercial activity. The proposal makes good use of vacant upper floors.
“The site is a sustainable and suitable location for new housing. The height, scale and massing of the proposed extensions are in keeping with the surrounding area.”
It adds: “The character and appearance of the area would be safeguarded. The proposal includes limited dedicated in-curtilage and off-street parking - however, the applicant has demonstrated sufficient on-street parking within the area.
“The site is in a highly sustainable location with access to public transport and the low level of in-curtilage parking is acceptable. NIHE is supportive of the social housing proposals. Other than NI Water, statutory and non-statutory consultees do not raise objections to the proposal. NI Water objected to the application on grounds of insufficient waste-water infrastructure.”
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