RESIDENTS rejoiced in the Market on Tuesday evening after the Save The Market – a group dedicated to fighting against the redevelopment of culturally unique buildings in the historic district of the city – convinced Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee to reject planning permission that would have seen the tearing down of the historic Sussex Place Convent School.

The school was built in 1878 and is a category B1 listed building.

Residents were alarmed days earlier when they saw preparations being made to convert the historic school into office space and nine private apartments – a move which residents feared would create a sustained negative impact, not only on the built heritage, but the community at large and would also lead to loss of privacy and disruption of family life.

Save The Market campaigners won the backing of several politicians and prominent members of the community in their bid to halt the development. Speaking before the Planning Committee decision, Joy Street resident Christine Farmer, summed up the residents fears: "Developers think that they can come in and push us out."

Citing his own objections, neighbour, and Belfast snooker legend Joe Swail, said: “Things are being taken out of our hands and we’re being squeezed out of the Market. From a personal perspective my brother has a number of physical and mental health problems, and this is going to really set him back… instead of having all these private developers coming in and squeezing us out, it would be nice to have something for the community.”

Minister for Communities and Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey – who is herself a Market woman – lent her support to residents, tweeting her delight at the Council decision: “Brilliant result to see this planning application refused and protection of this building. Well done to all the residents… and elected reps for supporting the community.”

Also speaking at the committee in favour of residents were two Belfast City Councillors for Botanic, Sinn Féin’s John Gormley and the SDLP’s Gary McKeown, with Mr McKeown tweeting: “Pleased to stand with residents of the Market and Lower Ormeau this evening in securing refusal of planning for apartments, including at the old Convent School in Sussex Place. Our communities need development which regenerates, complements and energises local areas.”

John Jo McGrady from Save The Market said residents were delighted with the rejection, and added that developers would have a tough time launching an appeal on the decision, as it had been rejected on such strong grounds. He said he hoped this would pave the way for local community groups to bring their own plans forward for the building and the area.

“The residents and ourselves are ecstatic at the result," he said. "It was great to see the unanimous result, and to see the concerns of the residents being vindicated by the councillors.

"Our concerns were amenity-based and around the overdevelopment of the site, and with the councillors' support, we’ve been vindicated. The council received over 300 objection letters in the five days since we discovered the committee was going ahead, and it would have been more if not for the restrictions due to the pandemic.

"The developers now have the option to bring the decision to the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) although I can see it being hard for them to prove why it should have gone through, especially after it was rejected on very solid grounds.

"The Market Development Association are working on alternative plans for the site, so the community will be looking at converting the site into something to reflect the heritage, history and culture of the local area and the people who live here.”

The Sussex Place Convent School was first built in 1878, and in its time has been used as a school until 1988. Since then it has been a community hub, nursery and boxing club until 2014.