Northern Ireland

East Belfast's iconic Park Avenue Hotel to be demolished for social housing blocks

Artists image of the new residential blocks from Dundela Crescent. Picture by Richard Taylor
Artists image of the new residential blocks from Dundela Crescent. Picture by Richard Taylor Artists image of the new residential blocks from Dundela Crescent. Picture by Richard Taylor

ONE of east Belfast's most iconic landmarks, Park Avenue Hotel, is to be demolished and replaced with social housing.

The once-popular 56-room four-star Holywood Road hotel, which opened in 1959, closed its doors 12 months ago and will soon make way for a 90 unit mixed tenure residential development.

Elected representatives at Belfast Council's recent Planning Committee approved the demolition of the former hotel for a `social-led' development comprising 75 apartments, 11 townhouses and 4 apartments, along Sefton Drive.

The proposal involves hard and soft landscaping including communal gardens, provision of car parking spaces, a `tenant and staff hub', cycle parking, a substation, retaining walls, and associated works including road improvement works at the junction of Park Avenue and Sefton Drive. It will reach a maximum height of four storeys.

Beannchor, which operates more than 40 outlets including Merchant and Bullitt hotels in Belfast, took over the financially-troubled hotel in 2019, from its family owners.

It continued to experience financial difficulties, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the summer of 2020 entered into a company voluntary arrangement process, or liquidation, with advisers HNH.

Holywood Holdings Ltd and the Housing Association company Choice Housing made the joint application, which was recommended by council officers.

The council report on the application states: "There is social housing need in this housing need area, middle east Belfast, which includes the Sydenham, Edenvale, Inverary, Dundela and Ashmount common landlord areas. In March 2020 there were 934 applicants for social housing, of which 522 were in housing stress.

"126 had been allocated units up to March 2020, while the projected five year housing need was 258 units. These factors support the case for the granting of planning permission in the principle subject to acceptable detail issues."

Twenty-two trees will be removed, with approximately 70 replacement trees provided, with further shrub and amenity planting also included.

There are number of mature trees on the site which will remain as they are subject to a tree preservation order.

The report states: "The majority of existing visually significant trees along the Holywood Road site frontage, and a significant tree internally within the site, will be retained. The replacement planting and need for social housing are considered to outweigh the trees to be removed and objections from the tree officer."

The council received 75 objections from the public, detailing a host of issues, including over-development of the site, increased anti-social behaviour, reduced local employment, noise, privacy, loss of light, dust, and general disturbance. No statutory bodies made any objections.

The council officer wrote: "The NI Housing Executive response indicates a need for social and affordable housing within east Belfast.

"Anti-social behaviour is an issue for the operator of the site and the PSNI. There is no determining evidence provided that indicates the proposal would result in antisocial behaviour to the degree that it would be unacceptable in planning terms.

"Any subsidence or structural damage as a result of the development site is a civil matter between the relevant parties. It is the responsibility of the developer and other agencies to ensure that development works are completed in a safe and appropriate manner."

The report adds: "There is no policy requirement for commercial/non-residential uses to be retained or continued at this site."

Alliance Councillor Ross McMullan said the new building would have a negative effect on nearby historic buildings, including the Strand Cinema, and would "drown them out with its dominance".

He added: "The lack of historic appreciation is reflected in the fact there is nowhere in this report that refers to this as Gelston's Corner, the historic name for this junction.

"The buildings that have been the focal point for generations will now be drowned out by the proximity, size, and mass of Plot Two, which comes right towards the perimeter line."

Despite this there was no dissent from any elected members on the proposition to agree to the application.