'Stalled' plan would rid Inver of eyesore, says land owner

Paul Henry of Big Son, the company which owns the former bleach and dye works site at Inver, said this week that planning permission is key to regenerating and making safe the eyesore property, which has been subject to vandalism and arson in recent months.

He added that the planning process had “stalled”.

Leading Ulster developer Emerald Holdings is awaiting the decision of Mr Poots on a major planning application which, if successful, would transform the bleach works into a substantial retail store with ancillary development, with access from a new roundabout on the A8 dual carriageway and across a bridge spanning the Inver River.

Emerald has offered to redevelop the adjoining Inver Park football ground in return for a third-acre of the council-owned property. However, the local authority has accepted a 5.1 million bid from Tesco and the UK’s biggest retailer is also awaiting a decision on its application for a food store on the site.

The edge-of-town proposals are opposed by the congregation at St Cedma’s parish church as well as Larne Traders’ Forum and the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association. There is also concern that planning permission has already been granted for two new supermarkets - the Asda under construction at Redlands and a proposed food store at Millbrook.

Mr Henry told the Larne Times this week that police had contacted him about security at the bleach works, where it is known that children have accessed the property in recent months.

There are several partly demolished and potentially unstable buildings.

“Over the past year and certainly the last six months young fellas have been breaking in and drinking and starting fires,” said Mr Henry. “We have been fixing things, like fences, maybe not every week but probably every fortnight or so and now we’re coming up to the summer months.”

We asked the land owner why the buildings could not be made safe by razing them to the ground.

He replied that part of the site had been designated as being “contaminated” by chemicals used in the dyeing processes.

Mr Henry said: “Because it is contaminated, it will require specialist contractors and I would be the same as an awful lot of people at the moment in that the banks have put the brakes on.”

He added that Emerald had offered to undertake the planning and development processes. “They said they would do it and they have the wherewithal to do it without going to the banks. They have spent a lot of money on the application including retail impact assessment, environmental impact studies, flood risk assessments and so on.”

Mr Henry said: “We were told we would have a decision back three months ago, but nothing has happened.

“I know there was an election to be fought and their minds were on other things, but it shouldn’t take this long.”

He referred to a letter in the planning file from international lawyers DentonWildeSapte - acting for Emerald - to Planning Service headquarters and dated May 4.

The letter describes the bleach works site as “abandoned”, “derelict” and “an eyesore which is continuing to deteriorate and prone to vandalism”.

Referring to Emerald’s offer to refurbish Inver Park, including a synthetic pitch and a new stand, the lawyers said Emerald was willing to “enter into Article 40 Agreement” to ensure that all the benefits cited “come forward in parallel with the proposed superstore”.

A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment told the Larne Times this week: “Planning officials are currently finalising their consideration of the application and hope to be in a position to make a recommendation on the way forward shortly.”