Controversial plans to develop housing close to NI's only regional park have been approved despite concerns

The site of the controversial Quarterlands Road plan for 17 homes is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on the edge of Lagan Valley Regional Park.

It was signed off by LCCC’s planning committee after a majority of members were reassured on biodiversity risks and sewage capacity concerns.

Objectors included local residents of the ‘Quarterlands Group’, as well as Assembly speaker Edwin Poots MLA.

Quarterlands Group spokesperson, Dr Jennifer Adgey said: “There are a number of planning policies that have not been satisfied.

This proposed development is in Lagan Valley Regional Park, which is an AONB, and there are only nine AONB in the North.”

The developer’s plans involve the removal of a central hedge with a boundary hedge three times the length being put in as a replacement. Head of planning, Conor Hughes said: “The site is in the settlement of Drumbeg an area of AONB, but is outside Lagan Valley Regional Park.” Alderman James Baird and Councillor Uel Mackin spoke on behalf of the objectors.

Developers ‘Quarterlands Road Ltd’ were represented by specialist planning barrister, William Orbinson KC, who had to retract an allegation that committee chairperson Martin Gregg had re-tweeted Quarterlands Group supporter Alliance MLA Kate Nicholl, which suggested a bias towards the application. Alderman Gregg stepped down from his position at a previous meeting after Mr Orbinson accused him of the social media support for the objectors.

Mr Greeg told the chamber: “After conducting my own investigation after the last meeting, I found that the Martin Gregg who re-tweeted Kate Nicholl, was in fact someone else. A quick check on that Martin Gregg’s Twitter profile would have revealed that.”

In response, Mr Orbinson stated that the information had been given to him in “good faith” and it was not his “job to go trawling through the internet”. He added: “It was a mistake on behalf of a team member. It was not my mistake.”

The barrister brought forward representatives from NIW, the Department for Infrastructure – Roads and Rivers, the NI Environment Agency and the Shared Environmental Services NI. None of the agencies made an objection to the plans, which witnessed NIW stating the Drumbeg wastewater system’s “true performance was more than meeting its demands”. The NIW spokesperson added: “The Quarterlands development was previously in early 2022 taken into account for the wastewater system and there was capacity.”

During debate, Alderman James Tinsley said: “I’ve been on the council for 25 years and this has to be the most scrutinised ever application and rightly so. It is important to do it justice. NIW has said there is more capacity. DfI has no objections.

“It would be disingenuous of me if I didn’t back this application, though I do have sympathies with the objectors.” A vote approved the application with committee chairperson Martin Gregg and Councillor Jonathan Craig voting against. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spoke to the Quarterlands Group following the committee approval. A spokesperson said: “We are very disappointed by this decision, but we will now re-group and consider our next step going forward.”