Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Planning Committee has approved an application for 38 new social housing apartments in Antrim despite hundreds of objections.
Councillors were told at a meeting at Mossley Mill, on Tuesday evening, that the proposal received a total of 408 objections.
Planning officer Alicia Leathem said that the proposed site “lies just outside” Antrim Conservation Area with neighbouring properties at Riverside and Massereene Street.
The application is for 35 two-bedroom and three one-bedroom apartments to be located in two buildings at Bridge Street for over 55s.
The officer told councillors the principle of residential development at this location is “considered acceptable”.
Proposed site location
A report to the committee says the site is located on vacant land adjacent to a public car park close to the junction of the Dublin Road and Bridge Road. A car showroom, which is now demolished, formerly occupied a section of the land.
The Six Mile Water River runs to the eastern boundary of the site with a public car park to the north.
The officer indicated the main concerns highlighted relate to parking, sewerage, infrastructure and parking. She said the design and appearance of the amended scheme is “considered acceptable and will not detract from the setting of the conservation area”.
The committee report noted a “large volume” of objections raised concerns in relation to flood risk. However, Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Rivers has indicated the proposed apartments and parking area will be located outside the floodplain.
The report stated that during the processing of the application, an amended scheme was submitted reducing the number of apartments from 48 to 38.
The officer said there would be an “under-provision” of car parking as the proposal would require 57 spaces, although policy allows for a reduction at town centre locations served by public transport and with a car park nearby.
She went on to say NI Water has found the proposed scheme to be acceptable subject to an “engineering solution”. The officer said that the application was recommended for approval.
Speaking at the meeting, Antrim Ulster Unionist Councillor Leah Smyth, who is not a committee member, read a statement on behalf of South Antrim MP Robin Swann in support of the planned development.
The statement said that Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough has the third highest level of homelessness in Northern Ireland with people living in “unsuitable accommodation that no longer meets their needs” and described the housing proposal as “life-changing”.
Speaking on behalf of residents of Riverside and Massereene Street, Antrim Sinn Fein Cllr Lucille O’Hagan, not a committee member, said it is a “historic area of Antrim town that has suffered decades of flooding”.
“I am deeply concerned the residents of Riverside and Massereene Street have not had their fears alleviated,” she commented.
South Antrim Alliance MLA John Blair said he believed that proposed access on to Bridge Street will increase traffic and “impose challenge for emergency vehicles”. He added: “There is persistent flooding in the area.”
Macedon Ulster Unionist Cllr Robert Foster pointed out that NI Water and DfI Roads have no concerns. Mr Blair said he has stood with residents as water was “washing up the streets at Riverside”.
Local resident Dawn Aiken told the committee that Riverside and Massereene Street are low-lying streets at risk of flooding at times of heavy rain.
“If the Planning Committee passes the application, it sends out a message that sewage in our homes and streets is acceptable. The planning system lets our neighbourhood down,” she stated.
Joanne Elder, a representative, of Riverside and Massereene Street residents, noted more than 400 objections to the proposal and warned against “over-burdening the infrastructure”.
“It is clear the proposal concerns our community,” she stressed.
Thomas Bell, planning consultant, said: “The scheme is the very definition of urban regeneration. It is an opportunity to bring back into life this part of the town. The scheme has the support of DfC (Department for Communities) and Alpha Housing Association.”
He added the planned development will be comprised of 38 units, eight of which are for residents with complex needs.
“The scheme represents a real opportunity to regenerate the area and contribute towards addressing social housing need.”
The committee report indicated that in order to address the parking shortfall, the agent has proposed a number of measures to “promote a more sustainable mode of transport”.
These measures include the offer of a travel card to one resident in each apartment. This will take the form of the Ulsterbus town service travel card which will enable residents to travel around Antrim town at a cost of £564 per apartment, totalling £21,432 for 38 apartments, per year to be available for a three-year period. Each apartment will be given a £200 voucher towards the purchase of a bicycle.
The application was granted permission after eight members voted in favour and two against.