Trust meeting after scheme given approval

The project will see the demolition of the trust-owned residential facility Greenisland House, replacing the home with 32 supported housing units for older people.

A planning application for the development, which is being taken forward by the trust in partnership with Trinity Housing Association, has been given the go-ahead by the Planning Service, with the council acting as a consultee.

The scheme had previously been subject to a number of delays following the closure of Greenisland House in 2013, with design issues leading to the application being pushed back last summer.

Welcoming Trinity Housing’s uptake of the scheme at Monday night’s meeting of the local authority, members proposed a meeting with the Northern Trust to update them on the general provision of elderly care across the borough.

Alderman Jim Brown said: “I attended a meeting with the trust last week and made the point that we as a council are concerned about the future of elderly care provision, particularly with the closure of Greenisland House and proposed closure of Joymount.

“I welcome that Trinity Housing is providing an alternative, but it’s important that we advise the trust that the real problem in the past has been communication. It has taken so long to deliver the scheme that people have forgotten what was promised. We should continue to argue the case and ensure that provision is met for the elderly people in the borough; it’s a sector that needs to be invested in.”