BELFAST City Council officials have reversed a decision to refuse planning permission for a high-rise residential scheme on the site of the former El Divino nightclub.
Benmore Group’s bid for 154 apartments along the River Lagan, close to the Hilton Hotel and Waterfront Hall, was recommended for refusal in September 2019.
The application was subsequently withdrawn by the property group to address some of the issues flagged up by planners.
Concerns included the over development of the site on the Laganbank Road, just off East Bridge Street. The altered scheme proposes to build on just 50 per cent of the site.
In a report prepared for Tuesday’s monthly planning committee meeting, City Council officials have recommended the revised version of the proposal can go ahead.
The project includes an 18-storey tower, along with two seven and two storey blocks.
The application also provides for ground floor retail units.
The Benmore Group, which is also involved in the £100m project to transform the Kings Hall site in Belfast into a healthcare village, has previously claimed the development will involve 140 construction jobs over a 16 month building phase.
The El Divino night club ran for six years in Mays Meadow before shutting down in 2017.
It had been placed on the market in October 2015 with a £1.75m price tag.
