Belfast Markets: 'David v Goliath victory' for residents

Local residents claimed the proposed office development would impact on their right to privacy

A Belfast residents' group is claiming victory in a long-running campaign to block a proposed multi-million pound office block development.

The council's original approval for the £55m block was quashed by the High Court in 2018.

Campaigners claimed the building would impact on their right to privacy.

The Department for Communities (DFC) has now bought the land and says it will be used to address housing need in the area.

The site is on ground between Lanyon Place train station and the nearby Market community.

In a statement, the DFC said the land was to be developed as a housing-led regeneration scheme.

The initial plan by the Kilmona Group was approved by the planning committee of Belfast City Council in 2016.

It included plans for a 14-storey block adjacent to the train station, a 10-storey block fronting onto East Bridge Street and two three-storey blocks fronting onto Stewart Street.

An artist's impression of how the offices will look

Several hundred local families in the Market area backed a public and legal campaign against the development.

They claimed the community needed more social housing instead of office accommodation.

They also wanted to get access through the grounds to nearby tunnels which are underneath the main road from east Belfast in to the city centre.

The community has plans to develop social and commercial business units in the tunnels.

How the site looks at present

The council refused planning permission for four office blocks at the site in January 2021.

A spokesperson for the council said that "the applicant subsequently appealed the decision but the appeal has been withdrawn".

Speaking to BBC News NI during celebrations in the Market area this afternoon a resident said it has been a "David versus Goliath" victory for their community.

BBC News NI has contacted the Kilmona Group for a comment.