Irish government refused plans for thousands of new homes
A major housing development that was due to be built in Lisburn has been rejected by Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure.
Yesterday, plans proposed by Neptune Group, a UK-based property organisation, to build almost 1,300 houses and a link road on a site near Lisburn, were rejected by Stormont.
Plans, which were due to cost £250m, were previously granted by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council in 2021, but in 2022 Stormont called the plans into Parliament and yesterday made the decision to refuse them on the ground that the proposal is considered contrary to the local development plan and regional policies.
However, despite the housing refusal, the department has approved a secondary planning application for a 1.6km link road to the proposed Blaris housing location.
A spokesperson from the Department for Infrastructure said: ‘When reaching the decisions the permanent secretary of the department has given full and careful consideration to all material planning matters for both applications.
‘She made the decisions under powers laid out in the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022. Notices of Opinion will now issue Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and the applicant.’
Although plans to create new homes have been rejected, this has cast some controversy as the housing crisis in Northern Ireland has displayed signs of deepening. In May 2023 the Department of Communities published the latest edition of its Housing Bulletin for January to March 2023 which outlined the number of households presenting to the housing Executive as homeless rose to 4,335 – an increase of 8%.
As more people are having to find shelter on the streets or in temporary accommodation, this begs the question on whether the Irish government should be rejecting new plans to build homes.
In addition, members of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council have expressed ‘extreme disappointment’ about the decision to refute the housing plans.
John Laverty, chairperson of the regeneration and growth committee within the local authority, said: ‘The development at Blaris represents a £16m investment in road infrastructure, which would unlock wider strategic investment in the local and regional economy.
‘The proposal includes plans for 1,300 dwellings and 754,000 square feet of commercial floor space as well as the M1 to Knockmore link road, riverside parkland, and ancillary works.
‘Having received correspondence from Department of Infrastructure’s Planning Group, confirming it had issued a ‘notice of opinion’ to refuse planning permission for this development, elected members will now take time to consider its contents and our next steps.’
Image: Scott Webb
Northern MP calls for new Stockton-on-Tees housing plans to be rejected