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An old mill in West Belfast is to be demolished for apartment blocks, despite local opposition. Elected representatives at the Belfast City Council Planning Committee have approved the demolition of four existing buildings, including three historic mill buildings from the 1900’s, for the erection of 32 apartments in three blocks at 39 Upper Dunmurry Lane, BT17. The site, known as Stewart’s Mill, was never listed. It sits beside a row of terraced houses originally built for linen workers. The developers for the apartment blocks plan are Joe Briers and John Maxwell of Templepatrick . READ MORE: New housing estate including 58 semi-detached homes approved for West Belfast READ MORE: Irish street sign surveys to go ahead despite “potential adverse impacts.” The application is for seven one-bedroom apartments and 25 two bedroom apartments, and six of the total will be wheelchair adaptable. Seven units will be “affordable housing” but no social housing organisations showed interest in the development. None of the statutory consultees opposed the application, and council planning officers recommended the plan for approval to councillors. The Stormont Historic Environment Division at the Department for Communities did not object to the plan. There were eight third party objections to the application, and one letter of support. Objectors expressed concerns about the loss of three historic buildings on the site, increased traffic, noise, and some said the design was not in keeping with the area. The council officer planning report states: “The application site is on Upper Dunmurry Lane. The surrounding area comprises mainly residential uses with a mix of densities with higher density terrace housing fronting onto Upper Dunmurry Lane and lower density dwelling on the adjoining streets. The surrounding area also comprises a number of commercial uses with Dunmurry rail halt and line 200 metres south of the site. “The site is a sustainable location within an established residential area and considered suitable for housing. The site is accessible being on a bus route and within close proximity to the Ormeau Road being a city corridor. Suitable infrastructure is in place to support the proposed development.” It adds: “The Planning Service’s previous approach towards demolition of these buildings was for the retention of the buildings and offered refusal reasons to this point. A subsequent appeal (in 2019) held that the buildings were of a condition that would prevent repair and repurposing for other uses, a similar approach offered by the (Stormont) Historic Environment Division. “Regarding the contribution to the character of the (area), the appeal found that the buildings did not make a positive contribution, and stated that it was the neighbouring cottages that were a contributing factor to the character.” It adds: “The applicant submitted a Demolition Justification Statement following the adoption of the Plan Strategy. The application site is currently occupied by a number of early 20th century former mill buildings which are currently semi-vacant and in a very poor state of repair. An independent structural assessment of the buildings for a previous planning application to redevelop the site indicated that they have been subject to significant internal and external alteration and to be a generally poor structural condition. “While the applicant states demolition is unavoidable, a condition is proposed to ensure that the redevelopment will incorporate reclaimed building materials into the new building while the demolition waste will be recycled where possible and rubble will form aggregates for use during construction. The application also proposed to create a two metre high wall along the boundary of the site with Upper Dunmurry Lane from reclaimed brick. At the October meeting of the Belfast Council Planning Committee, the chamber unanimously agreed to approve the recommendation, but with some elected representatives sounding a cautionary note. Green Party Councillor Áine Groogan said: “In relation to the social housing element, I think it is disappointing that there is no social housing provider willing to take on units within this scheme. I think that is a real missed opportunity, but I think it would be good for us to engage directly with them to see what the challenges are for them, and what we can do to overcome them.” Alliance Councillor Tara Brooks said: “I completely get the fact that our grounds for not approving are very constrained given the Planning Appeals Commission had decided that the existing buildings can’t be retained. That has tied our hands a little bit. “I agree with the draft recommendations, but I think it is important that we send out the message that this is an exception, and that if you are responsible for maintaining a heritage building, you can’t just let it go to rack and ruin, let it get dilapidated and then make a phone call to us saying it is unsavable.” For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter
