How To ObjectGood Reasons
The Quarterlands development (Planning Ref: LA05/2022/0033/F) raises legal, environmental and democratic concerns. It threatens biodiversity, raises questions around planning laws and the voices of hundreds of local people are largely ignored
This is not just about 17 houses. It reflects a wider pattern of unsustainable development that is damaging communities and ecosystems across Northern Ireland.
The land is within the Lagan Valley Regional Park
The Quarterlands site is in Drumbeg within the LVRP in all the publications below. We do not understand why Planners keep insisting the site is not in the LVRP AONB.
The land is not zoned for housing
The current lawful plan, the Lisburn Area Plan 2001, has not zoned the Quarterlands site for housing. Council officers claim that it was zoned, misleads both the public and the Planning Committee.
The planning application is premature
The Local Development Plan 2032 is still incomplete. By approving this application now, the Council would bypass essential legal steps, including:
- Updated housing needs analysis
- Climate assessments
- Community consultation
- Independent examination
Planning decisions must follow the adopted plan unless there are strong, material reasons to do otherwise. In this case, there are none.
BMAP has no legal status
The Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP) was declared unlawful and never formally adopted. It cannot be used to support development since the adoption of the Local Development Plan in 2023. The Council’s continued reliance on BMAP is questionable given it is not valid.
The consideration given to local voices
The Quarterlands development has faced strong public opposition. More than 400 formal objections were submitted, from over 280 individual objectors. A petition secure some 2,000 signatures.
Despite this, over 100 objections were excluded from the official count in the planning officer’s report. We do not consider how objectors’ views are taken into account as a meaningful consultation process.
The environmental risks are serious
The proposed site drains into the River Lagan, which connects directly to the protected waters of Belfast Lough. These waters are protected under multiple designations, including:
- Special Protection Area (SPA)
- Ramsar Site
- ASSI
- Shellfish Water Protected Area
No proper environmental impact assessment has been carried out, which breaches legal obligations under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations.
NI Water lacks data to ensure safety
NI Water has confirmed that there is no drainage model for the Quarterlands area. It also cannot confirm:
- The scale of rainwater misconnection issues
- The frequency of sewage overflows
- The quantity of material outflow to the river
Any claim that this development is environmentally safe is based on theoretical modelling, not real data. It also does not take account of changing work patterns with more people working from home or NISRA’s population growth projections for the LCCC area.
The development increases carbon emissions
The Quarterlands development is car-dependent given the absence of regular bus services either into Belfast or Lisburn. It directly contradicts the goals of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.
We need development that supports public transport, walkable communities and reduced emissions. The development does not meet these objectives.
Biodiversity must be protected
This small natural green site supports a 165-year-old hawthorn hedge and many native species, along with birds, bats, badgers, foxes, hunting ground for Barn Owls and Buzzards, pollinators and native plants. It plays a vital role in the area’s fragile ecological network. It is a rare island of land in the LVRP AONB purely for the wildlife in a landscape that is largely agricultural, managed park/golf courses and housing developments. The Lagan Valley Regional Park has objected to the proposed development noting its potential to harm the LVRP
We must consider how we value nature before building on biodiverse greenfield sites, we should:
- Refurbish vacant and derelict homes
- Convert unused AirBnB properties into family homes
- Build only on brownfield sites wherever possible
Destroying this precious patch of land for housing which in terms of scale and size is incongruent with the local community clearly is a step in the wrong direction.
This is part of a bigger problem
Only 17 houses are proposed at Quarterlands. But the methods being used— zoning claims which are not within Area Plans; not reflecting or weighing the comments from objectors within the Case Officers’ Reports; acting ahead of the new xxxx Plans due in 2032 – are similar to planning across Northern Ireland.
Developers seek profit. The environment suffers. Infrastructure is stretched. And local people’s trust in planning is eroded
We cannot let this continue.
Elected representatives must act
Councillors are bound by the Local Government Code of Conduct. They must:
- Serve the whole community
- Act lawfully and transparently
- Uphold the public trust
- Base decisions on accurate and legal planning policy and not act prematurely in respect of the pending Local Plans.
We are concerned that best practice to ensure the integrity of the local environment while respecting the views of local residents are not, in our opinion, guiding principles in respect of the Quarterlands development.
Our position on Quarterlands
The Quarterlands development must be refused.
It is a car dependent development, it has the potential to harm the LVRP, it removes heritage hedging and scrubland necessary for ecological purposes and to support carbon neutral goals being attained, it lacks support from the community, it threatens protected habitats; and in our opinion shows the weakness within the planning process by looking at each application as a free-standing issue rather than to consider in a strategic manner taking account of the cumulative impact of all applications within a council’s area.
We call on councillors and the community to help us reject this application and protect our landscape, our biodiversity and our future.
