The BBC reports that planning permission has been granted to convert Ormiston House into apartments.
Ormiston, a listed 19th century building in east Belfast, cost the assembly £9m in 2001; it went on the market in 2011 with an asking price of just £2.5m.
The granting of planning permission makes a sale much more likely.
The planning permission will allow the house, its gatehouse and mews to be converted into eleven apartments.
In addition a new block of twenty apartments will be built in the grounds.
The planning application is due to be discussed by Belfast City Council's planning committee this week.The assembly bought the property in 2001 from the Police Authority, the predecessor of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
It was purchased with the aim of providing offices to ease space pressure in nearby Parliament Buildings. However, the assembly came up against planning hurdles for the site, and was unable to secure approvals for proposed office use and previous apartment developments.
It has been largely unused but has run up security and maintenance costs of more than £1m.
The property was previously owned by the shipbuilder Sir Edward Harland Bt who remained there until 1887, when it was acquired by his business partner William, later 1st Viscount Pirrie, who later became the chairman of Harland & Wolff.
Shortly after Lord Pirrie's death in 1924, Harland & Wolff came into sole ownership of the property, selling it in 1928 to Campbell College, which held it until the mid-1970s.
3 comments :
A disaster, the last thing needed in Belfast is more apartments. I would've thought this could have been some sort of Titanic linked museum, or - at that relatively sensible amount - a private house for a merchant prince.
W.
My preference was always for a small boutique Shipyard themed hotel, charging top dollar for a small clientele. No doubt this is a useless business model, but I like the idea.
Yes, indeed. An urban Castle Leslie (as it was 10 years ago).
W.
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