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Roads officials at Stormont have also raised misgivings, saying plans submitted so far don’t have enough detail on what will happen with disabled parking facilities and a pick-up and drop-off area at the central transport hub. The car park at Lanyon Place train station contains over 150 spaces, but Translink has published plans that would see it disappear, to be replaced with an eight-storey office block. The public transport firm argues there’s less need for the car park now the Belfast to Dublin Enterprise train has moved to Grand Central Station, elsewhere in the heart of the capital city. Many of the buildings close to the train station are already offices, but residents of nearby houses fear the plan will result in large numbers of commuters parking around their homes. Under the current plans, there will be just 15 car parking spaces after the eight-storey block is built. According to the results of a survey Translink commissioned, four out of five people polled said they either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the office block idea – with 67% of respondents saying they “strongly disagree” with the move. The remaining 20% of those polled backed it. The report states the result “indicates a broadly negative response to the proposals, although some respondents noted the benefits that the development would bring to the currently under-utilised site”. Many respondents questioned the need for more offices in Belfast, arguing the city is already oversupplied with space and pointing out that since Covid many people’s daily working patterns have changed to from-home or hybrid at-home and in-office models. As a result, they suggested the development was likely to sit partially or fully vacant once it’s built. Translink, however, say there’s an identified need for high-end office space, and “best in class” new developments are in demand; the Lanyon Place project they say, would fall into that category. State the transport firm: “We believe it will be pitched perfectly at companies following market trends in Belfast and other cities across the UK and Ireland by seeking higher-quality, more sustainable offices.” Addressing concerns about the loss of parking and new offices throwing commuters onto nearby residential streets, Translink argued that constructing the scheme next to a train station would encourage people to go to work on public transport. “This supports a modal shift away from the private car use, easing congestion while making public transport the most convenient and attractive choice,” the firm states. “While the surface car park will be repurposed, studies undertaken as part of the development process have shown that there is ample capacity in nearby multi-storey car parks. This development promotes sustainable commuting, prioritising public transport, cycling and walking over reliance on private cars.” The firm did, however, reduce the height of the block from the initially planned 11 storeys to eight after consulting with area residents. The Department for Infrastructure’s Roads section has also raised questions. Pointing out that Translink has promised a dedicated drop-off area as well as disabled parking, officials say from submitted plans it isn’t clear where those are supposed to go, rendering the current application “unacceptable”.
