Belfast city centre hotel planned for old RUC barracks gets council green light for second time

A plan for a luxury hotel at the site of an old listed police station in Belfast City Centre has received a second chance after being stopped at the High Court over concerns about architectural heritage.

Developers hoping to build a 74 bedroom luxury hotel at Queen Street were disappointed after a Belfast City Council decision to approve their planning application was quashed by the High Court over architectural heritage objections.

But Big Top Productions, of Belfast, will get a second bite of the cherry after councillors at City Hall again this week approved their amended plan for a change of use of the former police station to a 74 bedroom hotel with associated restaurant, bar and ancillary facilities, at 21 Queen Street.

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The proposal involves the retention and restoration of the listed building at the front of the site, and demolition of the listed link structure and three storey building at the rear onto College Court. There will be part demolition to internal features, refurbishment, and a nine storey extension to the rear of the listed building.

21 to 27 Queen Street is a grade B1 listed building. It was constructed between 1860 and 1879. The building was previously used as a police station and prior to that a hospital. It has been vacant since 2000, and is on the 'buildings at risk' register. The applicant acquired the property in 2018.

In February this year elected members agreed to the earlier application at the Belfast Council Planning Committee - votes from Sinn Féin the DUP and SDLP pushed the application through, while Alliance and the Green Party objected to the plan.

In June, solicitors acting on behalf of Ulster Architectural Heritage submitted a letter to Belfast Council, alleging that the council had misapplied planning policy, carried out inadequate consultation, and made factual errors regarding the law. UAH had not engaged with the original planning application process, nor did it object to the application before the first decision.

The latest council Planning report on the application states: “Officers examined the grounds of challenge set out in the UAH’s letter and accepted, on balance, that the council’s decisions to grant planning permission and listed building consent should be quashed.

“The reasoning was that it should have been clearer in the assessment of the applications in the original committee report that the building and structures proposed to be demolished at the rear are part of the listed building, and how relevant planning policy relating to demolition of listed buildings had been applied.” The council elected representative’s decision was subsequently quashed by the High Court.

At the November meeting of the council’s Planning Committee held this week, elected members again supported the application on a vote, with only one Green Party member voting against the plan.

The newly approved application comes with conditions from the Stormont Department for Communities Historic Environment Division.

They are that no demolition shall take place before a contract for the redevelopment works has been made, and planning permission granted. Prior to commencement of structural alterations, a method statement will have to be submitted and approved in writing by the council in conjunction with HED.

It will have to demonstrate how the proposed structural works will be undertaken, and outline how the listed building will be protected, including foundations and any piling during construction and demolition work. The new-build hotel accommodation shall not be occupied until the retained building has been fully conserved and by written approval of the council in conjunction with HED.

The council planning officer report recommended the re-application again this month. The report states: “It is considered that there are exceptional reasons why the demolition of the listed structures at the rear is acceptable, with the demolition required to facilitate the important redevelopment proposals.

“Regard has also been given to the legislative requirement to have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building, or its setting, or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses. The proposal is considered compliant with policy.”

The council extended a full list of its own conditions for the applicant as part of the approval. On the morning of the Planning Committee meeting, the council received communication from Ulster Architectural Heritage, again objecting to the application.

They said the proposal was in conflict with policy relating to listed buildings, and said that the committee report failed to give appropriate weight to council policy regarding the presumption of favour of retaining listed buildings.

They added there was no “exceptional reason” why the listed buildings could not be retained “in their original or reasonably modified form” and said the application goes against council conservation policy.

Green Councillor Áine Groogan said at the meeting: “Both our Conservation Officer and our Urban Design Officer have raised concerns in relation to the extension of the building, and they are concerns that I would share. I would like to know from the applicant why partial demolition is required of the main listed building, to enable development.”

A representative for the applicant stated: “To make it economic we were looking at an 80 plus bedroom hotel to make this viable. We consulted extensively with HED and made some sacrifices, to lower the height, to get this through.

“It is now down to a 74 bedroom hotel. The economic viability is very important - it is very important we get this through at the required height. Otherwise it becomes uneconomical to do - and I believe the important historic building at the front of the site would be lost.

“We have had numerous people, including conservation architects, look through the building and agree that the rear building has little or nothing of architectural merit, because it had been stripped out by its previous users, the police.”

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