Bid to turn Stormont Hotel into care home, demolishing 14 houses to make way for retirement village, to get green light from planners - despite huge local objections

The move, say nearby residents in their filed objections, is “the opposite of what this area needs” after that part of east Belfast “rejuvenated itself and remains a popular area for young families and professionals”.

They also fear the retirement village part of the bid will “replace traditional and historical red brick houses with high rise buildings”, and will mean housing stock takes a hit at a time when there’s already a shortage.

But council planners say taking a hotel and conference centre that’s in regular use for big events at Stormont and turning it into a 97-bed care home should be given permission to go ahead, with politicians to make a final decision on the move early next week.

Planners describe the care home and retirement village as phases one and two of the project respectively, and they’ve been divided up into separate planning applications.

A final decision on turning Stormont Hotel into a care home is due next week, while planners want to give outline permission to the retirement village – meaning the latter’s details aren’t fully worked out yet.

The care home would retain the exterior of the hotel, but would heavily rework its interior.

The retirement village is stated to include an undefined number of “independent living” units, plus “up to 62 assisted-living units”, with a combined maximum of 84 units in total. Their planned location is on the site of the hotel’s western car park plus 14 neighbouring houses, all of which will be demolished to make way for the retirement homes.

The care home and retirement village planning applications have garnered more than 40 objections each from nearby residents, though planners want both of them to be given a green light on Tuesday.

Documents filed by planning consultants Turley on behalf of Summerhill Retirement Developments, the people behind the bid, argues Northern Ireland’s ageing population has resulted in “an increased need for housing that is fully accessible and supports older people”.

This specific development, they say, will “maintain the grain and scale of the surrounding context, appropriate to an established residential area” – and although the care home and retirement village will have fewer parking spaces than the hotel, they point out it’s on both bus and glider lines.

TODD Architects, also on behalf of the developers, state that reusing the Stormont Hotel building makes that part of the plan “inherently sustainable”, adding: “The layout of the hotel lends itself to a relatively straightforward conversion to care home use.”

Smaller conference rooms would be converted into communal facilities such as day rooms, a hair salon, therapy spa, home cinema and library, they state, while larger conference areas plus the hotel’s ballroom and offices would be turned into a medical facility.

However many locals remain opposed, voicing fears the move would significantly add to the area’s already severe traffic congestion while destroying the character of an area that’s popular with young parents.