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04/02/2003
Belfast council welcomes 'spot-listing' of historic buildings
Belfast City Council has welcomed plans to introduce ‘spot-listing’ of historic buildings and increased penalties for developers who demolish listed buildings.
The Council’s Development (Arts) Sub-Committee met with NIO Environment Minister Angela Smith to lobby for the increased protection of the city’s historic buildings.
On the agenda of the meeting were the listing of buildings, the lack of action against those who allow listed buildings to decay and penalize those who illegally demolish listed buildings, and the inadequacy of resources for the protection of the built heritage.
Recently many observers have expressed dismay at the failure to protect buildings such as Red Hall, where CS Lewis wrote one of his first Christian novels, 'Pilgrim’s Regress'. This building has now been demolished.
Council members highlighted the urgent need to prioritise a strategy for Belfast, where historic buildings such as Red Hall are especially at risk due to the city’s rapid development.
Councillor Nelson McCausland, Chair of the Arts Sub-Committee, said: “It was a useful meeting and we are pleased to be working with the Department more closely now than ever before.
"We look forward to the new planning legislation, particularly the new powers to spot-list buildings and new higher penalties. But these will not do any good if the Department of the Environment does not use them."
Mr McCausland said it was now clear that the protection of Belfast's heritage is "woefully" under-resourced but that he looked forward to working with the department to ensure that historic buildings in the city are better protected in future.
(MB)
The Council’s Development (Arts) Sub-Committee met with NIO Environment Minister Angela Smith to lobby for the increased protection of the city’s historic buildings.
On the agenda of the meeting were the listing of buildings, the lack of action against those who allow listed buildings to decay and penalize those who illegally demolish listed buildings, and the inadequacy of resources for the protection of the built heritage.
Recently many observers have expressed dismay at the failure to protect buildings such as Red Hall, where CS Lewis wrote one of his first Christian novels, 'Pilgrim’s Regress'. This building has now been demolished.
Council members highlighted the urgent need to prioritise a strategy for Belfast, where historic buildings such as Red Hall are especially at risk due to the city’s rapid development.
Councillor Nelson McCausland, Chair of the Arts Sub-Committee, said: “It was a useful meeting and we are pleased to be working with the Department more closely now than ever before.
"We look forward to the new planning legislation, particularly the new powers to spot-list buildings and new higher penalties. But these will not do any good if the Department of the Environment does not use them."
Mr McCausland said it was now clear that the protection of Belfast's heritage is "woefully" under-resourced but that he looked forward to working with the department to ensure that historic buildings in the city are better protected in future.
(MB)
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