King’s Hall redevelopment approved - despite concerns over air pollution

Only half of Belfast City Council’s planning committee approved the final stage of the health and residential complex plan.

Six councillors from the DUP and Sinn Fein voted for the plan, two voted against from the Green Party and People Before Profit, while four councillors from Alliance, the SDLP, the Greens and the PUP abstained.

Elected representatives were asked to approve medical and health services centres, a retirement living plot, a multi storey car park, local retail centres, restaurant and cafe areas, and a plot for leisure and gym facilities.

The plan also involves associated internal access roads, new public realm and amenity open space, including a central plaza and new access from Upper Lisburn Road.

Last month elected representatives decided to delay a decision on an outline planning application for a site visit and questions to be answered around air pollution – specifically a plan to build a 607 space multi storey car park in the new health complex.

The site is close to Stockman’s Lane beside the M1, which has some of the worst air pollution levels in the UK

At the last meeting Green Councillor Aine Groogan said: “It is a fact that it is an area where we have known and very severe air pollution – one of the worst in the entirety of Northern Ireland.

“It’s a little bit ironic we are going to centre a healthcare facility there, when we know how many adverse deaths there are from air pollution.”

Last week councillors took a site visit to allay concerns on the issue and the council’s environmental health team prepared an additional report. An officer said the team maintained no objection to the application “on technical grounds.”

The developer, Benmore Octopus Healthcare Developments, concluded in a statement: “The air impact quality assessment has robustly assessed the impacts of traffic emissions in the air quality management area.

“Due to the improvements in vehicle emissions with time, the phased nature of the development, and the mitigation measures included within the proposed development – which will reduce vehicle trips – the residual air quality effects as set out are not significant.”

Since last month’s deferral the developer proposed an additional green travel measure, with the offer a 50 percent subsidy on three year car club memberships for each of the 81 apartments, and six dedicated spaces for car club vehicles.

The council officer told elected members the car club offer was “not fundamentally necessary to make the development acceptable” but was “welcome in terms of promoting sustainable travel.”

The Department for Infrastructure’s Roads division made no objection to the plan, and recommended a number of conditions.

Last December councillors unanimously approved the erection of a care home on the site with associated car parking, servicing, landscape and access off Balmoral Avenue. It will be beside a building for supported accommodation for older people which is already under construction, around 100 metres behind the listed King’s Hall.