Translink asked to justify breach of planning permission for Belfast's new Grand Central Station

The department has this week written a letter asking for details of what the "exceptional circumstances" are that would justify the department letting the breach slide.

As reported last December by the News Letter, Belfast's giant new transport hub has been operating in violation of its planning permission since October.

As part of the decision to give the green light to the development back in 2019, a slew of planning conditions came attached.

Condition 5 limited the number of Enterprise services (the Dublin-Belfast ones) which can use the station each day to 16 in and out combined.

This was done "in the interests of residential amenity" – in other words, because of the impact the extra train services could have on homes surrounding the train line.

However since October some 30 such services have been using the station daily.

The department has the power to lift this planning condition but has yet to do so, meaning that every day the Translink operates its Enterprise timetable it violates planning consent.

Now the department's chief planner Alistair Beggs has written a letter to Juno Planning & Environmental Ltd (agents for the station project, and its co-designers), copying in Translink.

Noting that an application has been submitted for the retroactive lifting of Condition 5, he said: "It is permissible for the department to grant this consent in accordance with national law, however there are specific legal principles that must be adhered to."

In particular, he asked for details of "demonstrable exceptional circumstances that justify the grant of retrospective consent".

It should also be made “clear” that "the developer has neither gained nor stands to gain any unfair advantage from their breach of planning control", he said.

Mr Beggs has also asked for what progress has been made on meeting a series of other planning conditions.

These include the removal of temporary buildings put up during construction of the station and the reinstatement of allotments which were impacted by the building work.

Mr Beggs has also asked whether a condition requiring noise barriers to be erected beside nearby houses during the building work was met.

He further asked what has been done to fulfil Condition 12, which stated that the station should not be operational until there were 200 bike racks in place along with an "active travel station".

Translink told the News Letter: “The hourly Enterprise services between Belfast Grand Central Station and Dublin Connolly Station began operating last October.

"This expanded service offers enhanced connectivity bringing substantial benefits for passengers, business, retail and tourism, helps to tackle the climate emergency and provides a boost to the all-island economy.

“We continue to work closely with the Department for Infrastructure Planning and remain committed to meeting all relevant planning conditions, recognising that compliance is an ongoing process.”