The building of a new 11-storey student accommodation block in Belfast city centre is to go ahead despite a list of objections from a nearby hotel.
The new owners of an ETAP hotel have complained that a planned student block at Dublin Road would overlook and overshadow their building and have aired concerns about student management and potential noise.
The 201-bed accommodation at 41-49 Dublin Road and 3-5 Ventry Street was approved last December at Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee.
The block is planned to be built at the site of the Filthy McNasty’s bar and club venue.
However, at a recent meeting of the committee, councillors were asked to consider the approval in light of objections from Andras House Ltd, which purchased the adjacent ETAP Hotel in March.
A council report states the local authority received the objections in June, and along with concerns over noise, the company complained about “the absence of a tall buildings design statement and the consequential impact on the committee’s consideration of the application”.
Despite the objections, council planning officers again recommended the student accommodation block be approved, and committee members unanimously agreed.
The developer, FMN Properties Limited, has also applied to build a replacement pub on Ventry Street.
The estimated construction cost is £7 million. It is expected that 123 construction jobs will be created over the duration of the building period and 23 new full-time employment opportunities will be created.
The council report states: “Given the city centre location, it is expected that overshadowing will occur between tall buildings and indeed, the ETAP hotel itself causes a degree of overshadowing on adjacent sites at times.
It added: “Officers are content that the draft student management plan is satisfactory and officers confirm that the Section 76 Planning Agreement will contain the model clauses for a student management plan, including noise control and tenant behaviour as well as measures for controlling hours of use and potential noise disturbance from social space/communal areas.”
