After a Sinn Féin delegation met with Planning Service officials in relation to a controversial housing development at Nelson Street, local MLA Gerry Kelly said the community want social housing on the site.
The planning application for a massive housing development on the land which is at the centre of a police investigation was withdrawn from going before a Belfast City Council committee last week to allow for "high level discussions" between planners and the Housing Executive.
Originally the land was earmarked for an entire social housing project and was the subject of negotiations between Clanmil Housing Association, the Department for Social Development, the Housing Executive (HE) and the private landowner until 2006, when it was sold to Big Picture Developments (BPD). The PSNI was called in last year to investigate the Housing Executive's role in the zoning of the land.
The Planning Service recently approved plans to build 238 apartments on a stretch of land at Nelson Street, 181 of which will be private and just 57 social housing.
After a planning application is approved it goes before Belfast City Council's town planning committee who, although they do not have the power to throw out the application, can rule it should be sent back to the planners for further consideration.
However before it went before the committee last Thursday night the Planning Service withdrew the application from the agenda.
North Belfast Sinn Féin MLAs Carál Ní Chuilín and Gerry Kelly and councilor Danny Lavery met with Planning Service officials this week to discuss the developments.
"We are intent that this application be brought back and rethought, it's not what the community want. We do not want private housing on land that should be used for social housing and we told the planners that," said Gerry Kelly.
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