O'Toole & Starkey
Planning Consultants
Proposed Residential Development
Ballyboley Road, Larne
Proposed Mixed-Use Development
Rathfriland Road, Dromara
Welcome
We are inviting your views on a mixed-use development proposal on land at Rathfriland Rd, Dromara, prior to submitting an associated planning application to Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council. The feedback received will help to inform the planning application that will be submitted to the Council in the coming months.
Application Site
The site is located on the southern fringe of Dromara village on land north of No.60 Rathfriland Road and south and west of No.52 Rathfriland Rd. It extends in total to 4.09ha and comprises agricultural greenfield land. The landform is moderately flat, gently undulating from west to east and south to north.
The site bounds Rathfriland Road to the east, the River Lagan to the west and the Woodvale housing development to the north. Its southern boundary is defined by a double hedgerow/disused lane together with the Grade B2 listed Slate Quarry house located at No. 60 Rathfriland Road.
A copy of the site location plan can be viewed and downloaded below:
Planning Context
The application site is located within the settlement limit of Dromara on land zoned for mixed-use development under zoning DA05 of the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015 (BMAP).
Zoning DA05 of draft BMAP 2015 requires that the site be developed in accordance with the following key site requirements:
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Development shall be carried out in accordance with a concept masterplan for the site, which shall address the form of development, landscaping and the relationship of dwellings and employment uses and between the development and existing dwellings
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Development shall only include industrial/business and residential uses.
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Development shall comprise 50% residential and 50% employment uses
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A 10m buffer shall be provided between development and the river to the western boundary of the site
Recent Planning History
Outline planning permission LA05/2019/0533/O was granted on the site on 23 July 2020 for "Site for mixed-use development comprising residential/business units". The approved illustrative site concept plan can be viewed and downloaded below:
The Proposal
The draft proposals comprise the following core components:
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Residential: Approximately 46 dwellings, including a range of detached and semi-detached properties
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Employment / Industry: Approximately 3,900sqm employment floorspace and associated parking. Employment provision to be arranged across approximately 17 buildings
A new ‘principal’ point of access onto the Rathfriland Road will be created to serve the employment component of the development. The residential component will be served via a new access to the Woodvale residential development to the north.
A 10m landscape buffer area is included between the development and the watercourse to the west. In order to protect the amenity of present and future residents, a substantial planted buffer is also included between the proposed employment/industrial element and both the residential development along the Rathfriland Rd to the east and the proposed residential development to the north and west.
A copy of the site layout plan, house types and employment units can be viewed and downloaded below. A fly through model of the proposal is also available to view further below:
Comments
We would appreciate any feedback you might have in response to the draft proposals. All your comments will be considered before a planning application will be submitted to the Council.
Please email all comments to office@otsplanning.com, or post to:
O'Toole & Starkey Ltd, Arthur House, 41 Arthur Street, Belfast, BT1 4GB
Please also get in touch if you would like any further information. Our full contact details are below and on our Contact page. We are happy to facilitate video conferencing on request to allow an opportunity to discuss the proposals with members of the design team.
All comments should be provided before the end of 24th September 2021 to ensure they are given consideration before submission of the formal planning application.
Next Steps
Following the conclusion of this pre-application public consultation, all comments will be reviewed. Once considered, relevant changes may be made to the development and all comments, including a summary of the key concerns and the applicant’s responses will be included in a Pre-Application Community Consultation Report. This report will accompany the application submission.
Supporting technical and environmental documents will be finalised to accompany the application. Once complete, the supporting documents and final proposed drawings will be submitted with the Pre-Application Community Consultation Report as a planning application to the Council for consideration and determination.
Once the application is validated, the Council will proceed with its own statutory consultation. The Council will notify the local community about the consultation and application process and how they can participate.