PLANNING officials in Belfast have recommended that a developer should be given permission to demolish UTV’s former studios on the Ormeau Road, despite heritage concerns.
Olympian Homes bought the building in October 2018. The site had been on market for around £3.5 million.
A subsidiary company Locka Ltd last year submitted a planning application to raze the former media complex and replace it with a 270-unit build-to-rent apartment scheme.
The new building would reach eight storeys along the Ormeau Road, stepping down to three storeys at the back.
But the proposal has attracted dozens of objections, many of them citing the cultural and historical importance of the site.
Havelock House was home to UTV for almost 60 years. The broadcaster vacated the site in mid-2018, relocating to new studios at City Quays 2 at Belfast Harbour.
But in report prepared for Tuesday’s meeting of Belfast City Council’s planning committee, officials said efforts by campaigners to protect the building had failed.
The report said the Department for Communities’ Historic Environment Division (HED) had surveyed the building in 2011, but did not recommend granting it listed status. The decision was re-evaluated in 2017 and 2019 with the same result.
In September, councilors on Belfast City Council’s planning committee agreed to seek a detailed response from the HED.
Last month the division reasoned that Havelock house had “undergone extensive extension and alterations including the loss of fixtures and fittings – equipment pertaining to its use as a television studio”.
Ironically, the HED has objected to the Locka Ltd planning application on different grounds.
It said development would have an adverse impact on nearby listed buildings, and in particular those in the Gasworks, including the Klondyke Building.
However, the objection is likely to only delay planning approval, with the committee required to notify the Department for Infrastructure of its decision, should it approve the application.
The recommendation to approve is subject to a section 76 agreement, which typically involves developers agreeing to additional measures or financial contributions to get applications over the line.
In this case, Locka has said it will include a number of ‘green travel mesures’ such as travel cards for each unit for three years, four permanent car club spaces and a three-year discount for membership of a car club.
