Representatives for and against a planning application for the change of use from retail unit to amusement arcade and adult gaming centre at 51 Rosemary Street gave robust submissions to Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee this week.
Councillors deferred a decision on the application for the new establishment, the site of which is close to the First Church on a side street off Royal Avenue.
Despite council officers recommending approval for the application, councillors decided on a deferral, with a view to compiling valid reasons to reject the application.
The First Church’s building at 41 Rosemary Street is the city’s oldest surviving place of worship, while 51 Rosemary Street was granted permission for an Ann Summers shop in 2005. The site has been derelict in recent years.
South Belfast DUP MLA and the current Assembly Speaker Mr Poots lodged an objection to the application at City Hall.
However, an agent for the applicant said Mr Poots’ objection “adds absolutely nothing” as it simply replicated the church’s objection.
In all, there were three letters of objection sent to the council raising concerns, including the nature of the description of the application, the principle of a non-retail use in this location, and the impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area.
The objectors also raised issues of noise, litter and traffic regarding the application, health and wellbeing, the impact on the image and profile of Belfast city centre and fears of “clustering” of gaming centres in the area.
There is also a live application for 12 residential units adjacent to the site at 31-39 Royal Avenue.
There are currently three other amusement/gambling premises within 200 metres in the immediate area.
At the planning committee meeting, Diana Thompson, on behalf of the First Church, said: “Amusement arcades are not acceptable in the prime retail core, and that is clearly set out in the council’s own amusement policy.
“Approval will cause a cluster of these uses within a small area. The arcade will be a bad neighbour to the church.”
She added: “The First Church is more than a place of worship — it is a tourist and cultural hub for the city centre, playing an active role in community and religious life.
“The church is only 22 metres from the proposal site but, because of this separation and a set-back, there is apparently no significant impact. The church disagrees.
“The gaming activity will jar with the religious, spiritual, cultural and tourist activities that are located within the church, central halls and its associated grounds.”
Ms Thompson said it was “entirely inappropriate” and “the wrong development in the wrong place”.
An agent for the applicant, Sam Stranaghan, told the committee: “We welcome the careful consideration given by the officers and the recommendation to approve.
“As the report confirms, this proposal is essentially a relocation from existing premises in North Street, forced by the redevelopment of that area, and is acceptable in principle in the primary retail core, is policy compliant and will cause no harmful impacts.
“Rather, by spending £200,000 refurbishing a dilapidated, vacant unit, securing eight jobs and bringing footfall to this part of the core, it will support vibrancy.
“Notably, expert consultees note it will cause no harm to the setting of the listed church or to the character and appearance of the conservation area.”
He added: “The church has been coexisting for many years with many other users not of its ilk and probably not to its taste.
“It sits cheek by jowl with the licensed 3Cs social club, with its outdoor tables for food and drink, Sunday opening from noon, and gaming machines, and the council has not once complained about it.
“The application site itself was for many years an Ann Summers outlet, with a distinctive adult offer, and still the life of the church and its tourism and cultural functions coexisted and flourished.”
He added: “The recent objection from Edwin Poots adds absolutely nothing to the church’s objection, it replicates it, and is deserving of no greater weight just because, respectfully, it comes from an MLA.”
The council planning report states: “Building Control Service considers that there may be an issue in respect of the proliferation of amusement arcade use at this location, which might impact upon the character and amenity of the area.”
The report continues: “Building Control have listed five other amusement arcades. However, two of these are located greater than a five-minute walk from the site [and] are not considered to contribute to proliferation of this area.
“A total of four amusement arcades within a 200-metre radius of the site is not considered to impact on the overall character and appearance of this section of the city centre.”
The application will return to Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee later in the summer.
Election Daily: Gavin Robinson chats to Suzanne Breen on the election trail in east Belfast