A rogue sewage pipe meant the whole project had to be redesigned
The Lockhouse, Belfast, has been given a final approval for a new community wellbeing centre and cafe extension, years after the initial green light.
Previous planning approvals were granted on this site for similar development in Spring 2023 and Autumn 2024, involving a new wellbeing centre, but survey works prior to commencement of development found a sewage pipe previously unknown, and design plans had to be altered.
This week at the Belfast City Council December Planning Committee meeting, elected representatives unanimously approved full planning permission for the construction of the redesigned community wellbeing centre and cafe extension to existing the Lockhouse building at 13 River Terrace Belfast, beside the River Lagan, running parallel to the Lower Ormeau Road.
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The applicant is the Lower Ormeau Residents Action Group, based in Balfour Avenue. Groundworks and work on a “man-shed” approved previously at City Hall had already commenced.
The application area is the old John Murray Lockhouse site on the Lagan Towpath and its immediate vicinity. The Lockhouse is included in the Industrial Heritage Record for McConnell’s Lock, which is scheduled for protection under the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (NI) Order 1995. The Stormont Department for Communities Historic Environment Division was consulted and indicated that the proposal was acceptable.
The site is made-up of two distinct plots. One is a two-storey detached building inside a plot with boundary fencing and hedging, while the second plot is an area of open space currently laid out in grass and public pathways forming part of the Lagan walkway.
The Lockhouse is beside Shaftesbury Recreation Centre, a large leisure complex with outdoor play facilities, St. John Youth Centre and St. Malachy’s Nursery School, both single storey buildings.
Council planning officers recommended that the application be approved, and there were no objections from statutory authorities. The council received one representation letter from a third party who raised concerns about development on green space and potential “contamination” of the land.
The council planning report on the application states: “Officers are content that the proposal will not significantly detract from the surrounding character, having regards to the community buildings already located along this section of road frontage, and the materials offering an acceptable contrast.
“The current open space provides access to the Lagan walkway. The proposal is designed to retain this public access to pathways. Officers are content that the proposal will not impinge on the current level of public access ensuring the open character is maintained.”
It adds: “The proposal is a redesign of a previous approval that sought to provide indoor space for a variety of community-based activities for residents. Officers consider the site to be an appropriate location which is highly accessible to the public and will provide addition.”
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