70 objections to housing plan

Council's Planning Committee have deferred making a decision on a proposal for a social housing development in Gracehill.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Mar 2016, 20:00 BST
The Braid. (Editorial Image)The Braid. (Editorial Image)
The Braid. (Editorial Image)

Council’s Planning Committee decided on the deferral last week for consultation with NI Housing Executive and Housing Associations on the application which attracted 70 letters of objection.

Senior Planner Kyle Patterson told the committee that the Planning Department recommended approval, subject to conditions, of the application by Fold Housing Association for a development of eight houses and 12 apartments on a site at 19-20 Royal Court in Gracehill.

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He said that while statutory consultees had no objections, subject to planning conditions, it had attracted 70 letters of objection, including representations from an MLA.

Speaking for the objectors, Cllr Timothy Gaston said: “This is a never, never, never type of application” and David McIlveen MLA said local residents feared the proposal would be “a gross over development of the site”.

A Fold Housing representative said consultations had been carried out with residents and steps taken to address their concerns and that Japanese Knotweed found on site had been treated and removed. She said statutory consultees had no objections to the proposal which, she said, would represent a £2million investment.