Board tells County Hall to refuse apartments block

The local planning team had granted approval for the demolition of two Victorian dwellings to be replaced with 11 apartments at 6-8 Chaine Memorial Road, but when Larne Borough Council was consulted it moved for a management board hearing, conducted by Planning Service headquarters.

Director of operations Anne Garvey has written to the council reporting the completion of a reassessment of the proposal, along with the council’s detailed statement of the case against, the letters of objection and other relevant matters.

“It is the view of the management board that the proposal does not comply with current published policy set out in PPS 7 (quality residential environments) as the proposed development, together with existing and approved apartment schemes, will result in unacceptable damage to local character, environmental quality and residential amenity,” Ms Garvey wrote.

The board had concluded that the proposal in its current form was “unacceptable” and “contrary” to policy, she added.

The director told the council: “While the divisional office clearly took a contrary view, the final decision in this instance rests with the management board.”

She said the file had been returned to the Ballymena divisional office with an instruction to refuse the application.

Cllr Andy Wilson said that in his experience it was “very rare” for the management board to back the council in a case against the divisional office.

Asked by Cllr Brian Dunn if he had any comment to make on the reversal, planning officer Kieran O’Connell said it was a matter for the management board.

Cllr Dunn suggested that the board had now made it an issue for County Hall.