BBC NEWS | UK | N Ireland | Row over shopping centre rumbles on



By James Kerr BBC Northern Ireland business editor

There is renewed controversy over plans for a major new shopping centre development in the heart of Belfast.

The Planning Appeals Commission said on Thursday that the proposal for the �250m scheme at Victoria Square should be rejected.

However, the Stormont Executive minister reponsible for planning matters is set to overturn the recommendation and give the development the go-ahead.

The Victoria Square scheme has been dogged by controversy from the beginning.

There has been no major shopping development in Belfast city centre since the Castle Court complex was built in Royal Avenue.

Protest

The Victoria Square proposal was chosen by the government as its preferred option for the next major phase of commercial expansion.

But that choice has led to protest from, among others, rival developers and on Thursday the Planning Appeals Commission recommended rejecting the scheme on a number of grounds.

The PAC cited three main areas for rejecting the proposal:

That it did not tie in with current planning policy guidelines

That the scheme is not necessary for the regeneration of the area

That it did not address heritage issues properly, particularly as part of the development is in a conservation area

Go-ahead 'in principle'

However the minister for social development, Nigel Dodds, has said he disagrees with the judgement - and is inclined to give the scheme the go-ahead in principle - although he has allowed 28 days for objectors to make representations to him.

The Dutch development company behind the Victoria Square proposal has welcomed the minister's announcement.

Earlier this week, the company announced that it had signed up House of Frazer as its anchor tenant in the development.

It is anticipated that the centre should create 3,000 jobs during construction and a further 3,000 once the scheme is completed.


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