Belfast City Council's Planning Committee has agreed the adoption of Article 4 Directions to give added protection to the character of properties in Conservation Areas.

The decision, which relates to the Adelaide Park and Malone Park Conservation Areas in south Belfast, will now be submitted to the Department for Infrastructure for its approval.

If approved by the Department, it will be the first time the Directions have been introduced in Northern Ireland. They enable the Council to restrict permitted development rights which previously have not needed planning permission. This includes work such as the replacement of doors and windows, the erection of porches, the erection of gates or fences and the creation of hard standings to front lawns, all of which can impact on the character of properties within a Conservation Area.

-- Advertisement --

Councillor Donal Lyons, Chair of the Planning Committee, said: "The Council has a duty to take action to ensure the character of a Conservation Area is protected. These Article 4 Directions are primarily about protecting and enhancing the built heritage of the areas concerned and preserving the historic elements of properties which give these areas their character.

"All too often, the character of an area can be blighted by insensitive alterations to individual properties – works which, in the past, we have been powerless to prevent. The introduction of, these Article 4 Directions will allow us to have a greater degree of control over works which may seem relatively minor but which can have a detrimental effect on the individual property and the surrounding area."

(CD/LM)