West Belfast: Proposal for 900 new houses at former Mackies site
- Published
Building work at the site of the proposed community greenway has already begun.
A fresh proposal that would aim to create up to 900 homes at the former Mackies site in west Belfast is to be put to Belfast City Council.
Campaigners have long argued the 25-acre plot on the Springfield Road should be used in part for much-needed housing.
It comes after a plan for a community greenway through the land was approved by the council.
Building work at the site of the new greenway has already begun.
But a new design would allow for both the greenway and new homes to co-exist.
Matthew Lloyd's design for the site includes a city farm, work spaces and some commercial spaces
London-based architect Matthew Lloyd came up with the design as part of an international competition.
His design, which includes a city farm, work spaces and some commercial spaces, was selected by campaign group Take Back the City from a shortlist of submissions from international architects.
"Our plans are to, in essence, put a whole lot of housing on this site," he told BBC News NI.
"It's a really, really big place and the greenway is actually in the distance, nestled in the trees behind.
"So actually the greenway is going to be beautifully done from the plans I've seen and it's going to be a wonderful public amenity.
"And then, either side, we can build homes."
Marissa McMahon said there are 2,000 children in west Belfast waiting for homes
Some 40,000 people across Northern Ireland are said to be on a waiting list for a home, with residents in west Belfast among those in most acute need.
Take Back the City campaigner Marissa McMahon said: "In west Belfast we have thousands, and I mean thousands of people, waiting on a home. Some that I've been working with for 15-and-a-half years with not one single offer.
"You've over 2,000 children in this area alone waiting to be housed in hostels in and around this site.
"And Matthew's here, ideally, to develop a masterplan and to put alongside the greenway that's already here, homes for people who need them."
Belfast City Council is currently developing the greenway, which would form part of a wider £5.1m project seeing the creation of a 12km (7.5 mile) route from Clarendon Playing Fields to the new Transport Hub in Belfast's city centre.
The project is to be paid through a European Union peace and reconciliation fund.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: "As the local planning authority, if council receives a formal planning application for the remainder of the site, our planning committee will consider this as it would any other planning application.
"As council will also be responsible for managing and maintaining Forth Meadow Community Greenway once it fully opens, we would also expect to be consulted on any future development proposals for land which neighbours the greenway."
They added that the council was in the process of completing work on the Forth Meadow Community Greenway, and that proposals for the remainder of this site would be "a matter for the landowners".
The site, which was once home to the old Mackies factory, is now owned by the Department for Communities.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the department told BBC News NI that it had an agreement in principle to transfer land at the Mackies site to Belfast City Council to assist with its Peace IV-funded Reconnecting Open Spaces project.
It said this had been "widely consulted on and has community support to build connections and cohesion across communities".
Related topics
- Published27 June 2022
