Dundonald Rolls Royce site housing development set for approval after months of delay

A £36m housing development on a former Rolls Royce site in Dundonald is set for its second approval following a nine month delay over a green belt objection.
Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council's (LCCC) planning committee approved the Lagmar Properties Limited application in February with construction expected to begin next month.
The mixed use development includes 95 new homes built on the old factory site on the Carrowreagh Road with 20% earmarked for affordable housing. There are also 31 business units planned.

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A total of 110 full-time jobs will be created during the estimated three years of the Lagmar Properties Limited construction. Longer term, 85 further full-time jobs will be generated within the industrial and business space.
However, in March the local authority received a late representation from Gordon Duff, a member of the Dundonald Green Belt Association (DGBA) highlighting his "serious concerns" over the approval and his bid to "prevent an urban sprawl" in East Belfast.
His objection letter, on the NI Planning Portal, also alleges the Council had provided "incorrect facts" to members of the committee, based on details of the council's local development plan. Mr Gordon states that for this reason LCCC is "highly vulnerable to legal challenge".
Some nine months later, the application is to be presented before LCCC planning committee on Monday (Dec 2) and is recommended for approval following a review of the DGBA objection.
High profile political support for the Dundonald application includes Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long (Alliance) and Strangford MP Jim Shannon (DUP).
A report to be put before elected reps, states: "The advice contained in the main report is not changed. In respect of the objector’s representation that this site should be refused planning permission based on the fact it is zoned employment land and that it cannot be developed for mixed use development until it is decided if the land needs to be reallocated through the Local Policies Plan process is not sustained."
The site was formerly the home of the Rolls Royce factory, which made parts for aircraft engines from 1966 to 1977. After this, the Dundonald site was used by TK-ECC for the manufacture of car components, including seatbelts, but its operations closed in 2004.
The former factory, which closed down 20 years ago, had previously been a site of interest for a potential Sainsbury’s store in 2014.

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