Athletic Stores Plan 'Exercises Minister'

Belfast may soon lose part of its Victorian heritage with a famous façade in the city centre about to disappear.

The 'Athletic Stores' building faces demolition after a planning application for the site's redevelopment was recommended - despite prolonged opposition by conservationists.

But all is not lost as the Stormont Environment Minister Alex Attwood has said he will "have a say" in the future of a landmark building in Belfast which has been earmarked for demolition.

He was commenting this week after planners gave consent to knock down the Athletics Stores building and replace it with a multi-storey apartment complex.

He went onto BBC NI's Good Morning Ulster on Friday to say that "he would listen to the concerns of councillors and heritage campaigners".

"Ultimately I will have my say and determine this approval myself," he said.

"I will make a judgment based on where there is economic benefit and where there is a need to protect the built heritage," he told listeners.

The planned construction work would see the 19th-century property on Queen Street knocked down and replaced with a seven-storey apartment complex, even though the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (UAHS) has fought the plan.

It has now pledged to take a challenge to court if the plans are subsequently rubber-stamped by Belfast City Council's Town Planning Committee.

The members were supposed to discuss the plans at a meeting last night, but the item was deferred to allow for a visit to the building, which is the work of noted Belfast architectural firm Young and Mackenzie.

Rita Harkin said if the building is torn down, Belfast would lose part of its "rich historic identity" and that "this is a clear-cut decision of a building that should be defended in a conservation area".

"Regeneration should never be at the expense of a city's rich historic identity," said the UAHS spokeswoman.

The same plans were previously submitted to planning and recommended for approval, but the society took its objections to the High Court where the decision was quashed in January 2010.

Ms Harkin added: "We are stunned that planning officers have come back and decided to approve demolition. It goes against the planning officers' report, and the conservation officers and architects - all of whom agreed during the last court case that the building shouldn't be knocked down.

"We'll have to challenge this in the courts again," she told today's Belfast News Letter, underlining that her organisation had brought the initial judicial review of the Planning Service's decision.

Carlisle Property Developments Ltd is behind the bid to raze the Athletic Stores and replace it with 69 apartments, street level shops and basement parking facilities.

See: Planners Defend Demolition Decision

(BMcC/GK)