Defence Online

Three major Belfast developments – including refurbishing and extending one of the largest buildings on Donegall Place, building a seven-storey student accommodation tower and erecting a huge mixed-use scheme – have been approved. However, plans for an 11-storey project were deferred, while an application for a drive-thru McDonalds was pulled.A number of applications went before Belfast City Council this week, with three of the largest securing the green light.The first of the trio was plans to redevelop, refurbish and extend 35-47 Donegall Place.The property, which was acquired by a consortium including Bywater Properties, LRE Capital and Belfast-based Ashmour last year, is currently occupied by a mix of retail space, office space and plant storage.Bywater Properties’ application states that the building is hindered by both its “tired 1970s façade” and the vertical layout internally, a fact “confirmed by existing vacancy in this space”.As a result, the company’s proposals include removing the plant storage and dedicating each of the six floors to one use each, with the upper four levels earmarked as office space and the first and ground floors set to be retail space.Once complete, more than 700 workers could be employed within the scheme.The second of the three applications was Kilmona Property’s plans to demolish Londonderry House on Chichester Street and replace it with an eight-storey mixed-use scheme.The applicant described the derelict six-storey building, which was built in 1965, as being reflective of its era of construction.As part of the approved project, the ground floor will comprise 3,800 sq ft of retail space with a total of 52,100 sq ft of office space over the remaining seven floors.The final major scheme to be approved was Helm Housing Association’s application to demolish the existing Durham House on Durham Street and erect a seven-storey, 35-apartment property.One of the largest proposal’s on Belfast City Council’s agenda was an 11-storey mixed-use scheme comprising 271 studio apartments, shared communal areas and two retail units.The application was earmarked for refusal but a decision was deferred to allow for a site visit.Finally, an application from Seville Ltd to build a McDonalds drive-thru on Shore Road, which was also set to be refused, was withdrawn before the meeting. Had the scheme been approved, about 35 jobs were expected to be created.