14-home residential development at 18 Annadale Avenue, Belfast

“ADDENDUM REPORT 2 Committee Date: 17 th June 2025 Application ID: LA04/2022/1046/F Proposal: Proposed demolition of existing building and construction of a residential development consisting of 14 No. units (9 No. apartments within a three storey building and 5 No. two storey terraced dwellings) with associated landscaping and car parking.”

“The application site is located at No. Annadale Avenue. The site is 0.2 hectares in size and is an “L” shape. It comprises a two-storey red brick building with a flat roof rear return and a metal garage to the side previously in use as a Children’s Nursery. The site contains an existing garden area directly to the rear of the apartments and the adjacent No. 18a Annadale Gardens. The site is located within a mostly residential area.”

“Having regard to the Development Plan and material considerations, it is recommended that planning permission is granted, subject to conditions and a Section 76 planning agreement to secure a viability review. A list of draft conditions is provided in Addendum Report 1, appended. The draft Section 76 planning agreement has been agreed in principle, pending the decision of the Planning Committee.”

“Delegated authority is sought for the Director of Planning and Building Control to finalise the wording of the conditions and Section 76 planning agreement, and deal with the further consultation with DFI Rivers and any other issues that may arise, provided that they are not substantive.”

“On the basis of this independent appraisal, it is advised that the options to retain the existing building, including façade retention only, are unviable. The applicant has demonstrated that it is not feasible to retain the existing building from a viability perspective, in compliance with Policy ENV2 of the Plan Strategy.”

“In any event, as set out in the previous reports, it is considered that weight should be given to the longevity of the application, which was submitted in May 2022 with a PAD submitted in February 2021, significantly pre-dating adoption of the Plan Strategy in May 2023 and Policy ENV2. Moreover, for the reasons stated in the previous reports, retention of the existing original building would result in a “pinch point” between the building and No.”

“Also as reported to the previous meeting, six further objections (21 objections in total) have been received, including from Claire Hanna MP and Matthew O’Toole MLA. The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society have submitted a further representation reiterating their previous objection which is addressed in the previous report. The points of objection are summarised below.”

“Erosion of Victorian character of street. Inappropriate design and scale, not in keeping. • Loss of a Victoria building; existing building should be retained. • Increased traffic, traffic congestion and parking. • Impact on neighbour amenity – loss of light and during construction. Specific impacts on the nearby care home during construction. • Loss of green spaces and habitat. • Impact on boundary hedge. • Impact on trees and shrubs. • Environmental impact of demolition.”

“At the request of Councillor Brennan, the Committee agreed to defer consideration of the application to allow more time to consider the restricted viability information.”