OVER 500 people have now signed a petition to transform the Mackies site in West Belfast into a mixed use housing zone.

The campaign 'Take Back the City' by Participation and the Practice of Rights (PPR) has been ongoing for years and has seen the group develop a master plan to present to Belfast City Council to allow more homes to be built at the site to address the current housing crisis.

At a stall in the Kennedy Centre the group amassed over 500 signatures and have scheduled a meeting with Lord Mayor Ryan Murphy to discuss the plans.

Twasul Mohammed of PPR said people have been very supportive of the plans and the group had contacted all political parties calling for action on the plans.

Twasul said: "Over 5000 children in Belfast are now officially homeless and West Belfast is the worst affected area. Every week we support more families who are living in homeless hostels, in terrible accommodation that makes them sick, or facing eviction with nowhere else to go.

"Business as usual has completely failed the people of West Belfast. We need to see action to build more homes on available land. That’s what the Take Back the City plan for the Mackies site on the Springfield Road is all about.

"We’ve been working with the local community and international experts to develop a master plan and now we need the site zoned by Belfast City Council to allow much needed homes to be built.

"The support from the public has been brilliant. Over 500 people in a few weeks have emailed all political parties calling for action. We are looking forward to meeting the Mayor on Monday to share our concerns and we hope every elected representative can add their support for our campaign."

Designs for the Take Back the City plan can be seen here at takebackthecity.ie/take-action/rezone-mackies