A PROPOSED multi-million pound Belfast residential and nursing home development has been refused planning permission.
The Castlereagh scheme, first mooted over six years ago and originally featuring an hotel, was rejected by members of the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council Planning Committee yesterday, with concerns cited over the access road from the site.
The major project, located on vacant land off the Saintfield Road, had been brought forward by Co Down-based Carncastle Properties Ltd and comprised a 109-home development, featuring a mix of 85 houses and 24 apartments, as well as a nursing home, with a capacity of 62 bedrooms.
The plans also featured ancillary accommodation, associated site works and a new junction with the Saintfield Road.
The 11-acre development site, which previously housed Woodlawn Garden Centre, was one of a parcel of six sites totalling 87 acres, which sold for a record £100m-plus in 2006 - one of the biggest deals in the north at the time.
In documents published ahead of yesterday's committee meeting, council officers said despite "protracted efforts" over the last 16 months, "insufficient information has been provided in order to establish the acceptability of the proposed development".
They stated the applicant had "failed to demonstrate" that a safe access to the public road is achievable, in line with Department for Infrastructure standards and recommended that the application be refused.
The committee accepted these findings yesterday and rejected the proposal.
Carncastle Properties has a registered office address in Hilltown and three listed directors - Arthur, Patricia and Sean McGreevy.
