Call made for public inquiry into UUJ plan

As part of £50million masterplan the university is proposing to build 600 homes on the site after the bulk of its academic services move to a new campus in Belfast city centre.

However, Councillor Campbell has called for the university to rethink the proposals and a public inquiry to be held.

He made the comments after he and fellow Alliance councillors Billy Webb and Lynn Frazer along with Ulster Unionist Ken Robinson met with senior planners to discuss the proposals.

Councillor Campbell, who is chair of the council’s Planning Committee, said: “Given the scale and density of the application and its impact on the local community there should be a public inquiry.

“The university, far from preserving a positive legacy, as was its stated intention, is in danger of leaving a negative lasting impression to the detriment of the local area.”

He added: “I am at a loss to understand how the university could have thought that such a proposal would be remotely acceptable.

“It is on a vast scale and its density is completely unacceptable.

“It brings with it significant extra traffic and there has always been a lack of school places in our local primary school.

“If these residents of 600 homes have children, and it must be assumed that there will be many families moving in to such a development, it appears that little thought has been given to how they are to be educated, which is surprising and ironic for a university.

“I suspect that a decision on this planning application is some way off as there would appear to be significant gaps in what would be reasonably required in an application of this size and I believe that a public inquiry is required.”

At this month’s meeting councillors in Newtownabbey unanimously agreed to support a proposal from Councillor Campbell to have the planning application declared an Article 31 application, meaning the Environment Minister could step in to make the final decision on the plan.