Residents of Belfast’s most exclusive street are objecting to a plan to demolish a residential house for a replacement dwelling, three months after a similar plan was passed by City Council against a groundswell of local complaints.
In May residents of Malone Park - seen by many as having the greatest claim to being the city’s “millionaire’s row” - predicted the “death” of its conservation area after the council approved an extension and renovation at 24 Malone Park.
The Malone Park Residents Association argued the application contravened planning policy on new building coverage which does not allow development of more than one and a half times that of the original dwelling. Objectors and council officers disagreed on the amount of space being added, and the plan was recommended to elected members.
Read more: Malone Road's 'millionaires row' under threat after council decision, residents say
Now another and even more ambitious application at 28 Malone Park has been recommended for approval by council officers. It was deferred at June’s meeting of Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee for a site visit by councillors, and will be heard later this month.
It involves the demolition of the existing dwelling and erection of a three storey detached dwelling with a basement, garage and landscaping to the front and rear. Nine letters of objection have been received by the council to date, including three representations on behalf of Malone Park Residents Association. Three of the letters are from doctors living in three separate addresses in Myrtlefield Park, another exclusive street running parallel to Malone Park.
The objections involve concerns about destabilisation and damage to adjoining properties from excavation and construction; loss of privacy, light, overshadowing, and a perceived dominating impact on neighbouring properties; the adverse impact upon the setting of the listed building, and concerns the application does not preserve or enhance the Malone Conservation Area.
Objectors also noted the historical significance of the existing dwelling, and pointed out that policy gave a presumption in favour of retention - they argue no evidence was provided as to why the application was an exception and should be demolished. Objectors referred to “intensification” of development in the design, scale, height, massing and plot coverage of the proposed dwelling. Concerns were also raised about the impact upon a nearby badger sett.
All the relevant Stormont departments, NI Water, Belfast City Council Environmental Health, Trees and Landscaping sections were all consulted and offered no objection to the proposal. However, the council’s Conservation Officer objected on the basis that the existing building makes a material contribution to the conservation area and its demolition is therefore unacceptable.
Despite this, the council planning report is recommending approval. It states: “In the case of the new application, the footprint of the proposed replacement dwelling has been reduced, there is greater distance to the boundaries and a new landscaping plan has been provided which shows retention of existing tree coverage, particularly the trees along the boundary with No. 30 Malone Park next door.”
It adds: “The existing dwelling makes only a modest positive contribution to the character and appearance of the area and is in poor condition. It is considered that the proposed replacement dwelling is well designed. The character and appearance of the Malone Park Conservation Area would be enhanced. Officers consider that the grounds for dismissal of the previous appeal have been addressed and that the proposal complies with policy.”
Planning consultant Michael Worthington, speaking on behalf of the Malone Park Residents Association at the May council meeting, said: “The Park is under a significant development pressure of a scale that it hasn’t seen for quite some time. From the resident’s perspective, this application represents a pivotal point in time for this conservation area.
“There are a number of applications in the system, for which this decision on this application will be critical. The approval of this application will allow for the incremental increase of larger developments that will negatively impact on the relationship of buildings and landscape.
“When combined it will decimate the character and appearance of the area. In effect, the approval of this application paves the way for the death of the conservation area, by a thousand applications.”
On a vote for the application at 24 Malone Park, eight councillors from Sinn Fein, the DUP, Alliance and the SDLP supported the application in May, and two objected from the Greens and the PUP, while one Green councillor abstained.
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