CONSTRUCTION is set to get under way at the Gasworks site in South Belfast as a proposal for 94 much-needed family homes was granted by Belfast City Council this week.
The Market Development Association have welcomed the news following a long campaign to secure the site and develop housing there.
“It’s securing and guaranteeing housing on land that was zoned for housing in that wider community return from all the investment and development that is happening,” said Fionntán Hargey of the Market Development Association.
“It is also overcoming the social segregation that the community has faced, where you’re completely cut off by social interfaces from the Gasworks Business Park and by extension you’re cut off from the river and the towpath and all those nice scenic walks.”
The development will see new homes built over two sites within the Gasworks estate. Site A will sit parallel to Cromac Street with entry off Raphael Street with Site D sitting between Stewart Street and the railway lines.
VISION: 94 new family homes are set to be built
“There will be three points to get people in through the Gasworks and on to the towpath. This will help access the Irish medium primary school in An Droichead on the Ormeau Road. It means people don’t have to go on to Cromac Street, which is one of the busiest streets in the city in terms of traffic,” Fionntán said.
“You have a whole generation of kids who have maybe grown up in housing stress and effectively homelessness and maybe travelling about from grandparents’ house to a flat that isn’t adequate to their needs. You’re hoping to put all that behind you and going forward kids will have adequate housing.”
Outline permission has also been secured for a 300-bed backpacker hostel in the Gasworks, which would see the creation of 50 jobs.
“Between the new housing and the existing business park, we’ve also secured land for community infrastructure social economy and cooperative development. That would link in with our wider rebuilding the local economy programme,” Fionntán added.
“This would create well paid sustainable jobs for the community as well as social and cultural spaces within that complex. The ground floor and first floor would be dedicated completely to having those spaces where you could run community theatre projects such as arts, drama, performances and concerts”
94 new homes secured in the Market area after planning was agreed at tonight’s council mtg. This has been down to the hard work of the @MDABelfast & the local community and I’m glad to have worked with them & @RadiusHousing to secure these much needed homes 🏠 pic.twitter.com/8GR8DA7Lrc
— Deirdre Hargey (@DeirdreHargey) March 1, 2023
Fionntán said that a community “isn’t just homes".
“You need wider infrastructure, you need employment and social spaces. We commissioned the hostel as part of that and it was one of the demands of the Houses Now campaign that you had adequate land for social housing as well. The hostel would be the big setpiece project as part of that.”
