Objectors say the site “would be better used for family housing to meet local needs, or for business premises benefiting local people”
The site of the short term let application on Albertbridge Road, before the restaurant was demolished, on Google Maps(Image: )
Belfast Council has been told a plan for a new four-storey short-term let apartment block in East Belfast is “not wanted by the community”.
An application for the erection of a four-storey building to create 29 short-term let accommodation units at 341-345 Albertbridge Road, Belfast, BT5 was to be heard at the January meeting of the Belfast City Council Planning Committee, held this week at City Hall. Elected representatives instead deferred the application, for a councillor site visit.
The application has received 37 objections since it first went to the council last December. Despite this none of the relevant statutory bodies have objected and the council’s Planning officers have recommended the application for approval.
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In the latest council report, officers said the objections state “the proposal is not wanted by the community” and the site “would be better used for family housing to meet local needs, or for business premises benefiting local people.”
The report states objectors raised “concerns about people coming and going, and not knowing who they are,” as well as concerns about community safety, overshadowing and loss of privacy.
Planning officers added: “Whilst community safety can be a material planning consideration, there is no evidence to suggest that the proposal would result in significant harm to the public interest in this respect, that would override normal planning policy considerations.
“As discussed in the original report, there would be no harmful impacts in respect of overshadowing and loss of privacy.”
An earlier officer report states: “(The application) is not considered to impact negatively on existing residential amenity. It will strengthen and diversify short term let accommodation, is located close to public transport and within walking distance of a tourist attraction. Appropriate management arrangements will be secured via a planning condition.”
The site at 341-345 Albertbridge Road was formerly the Beijing Restaurant, which has since been demolished, leaving the site vacant. The surrounding area is predominately a mix of commercial and residential uses, with homes immediately opposite. Connswater Retail Park is located to the rear of the site.
Short-term let accommodation refers to renting out a property or room for a short period, from one night to a few weeks or months, rather than for a permanent residence. Platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo list these types of rentals, which offer visitors more choice and a different experience from traditional hotels.
At the City Hall Planning Committee meeting this week, another controversial application for a short term let accommodation in a 200 year old listed building close to the city centre was withdrawn from the agenda without explanation.
Last month the application for the “retrospective change of use” from residential to short-term let accommodation at 39 Hamilton Street, in the Market area off Cromac Street, was deferred for a site visit.
The building at the site has been operating as an AirBnB style short term accommodation without permission for almost two years, to the consternation of local residents and even local elected representatives.
An array of Belfast councillors from a variety of political parties have warned that communities all over the city could soon face a housing crisis caused by short-term lets, similar to the crisis caused by HMOs in areas such as the Holylands.
Last September, at a meeting of the council’s Licensing Committee, councillors and a council officer made reference to allegations that Tourism NI were certifying properties as short-term lets before they had planning permission, with one councillor stating short-term lets were the “wild west” of the housing sector.
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