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| Minister criticises planning move | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Environment Minister Sammy Wilson has criticised officials in his department for rejecting plans for a high-rise building in the centre of Belfast. | Environment Minister Sammy Wilson has criticised officials in his department for rejecting plans for a high-rise building in the centre of Belfast. |
| Planners said proposals for the Aurora building in Great Victoria Street "did not pay due regard to the character of the site and the surrounding area". | Planners said proposals for the Aurora building in Great Victoria Street "did not pay due regard to the character of the site and the surrounding area". |
| But Mr Wilson said the building of the £90m project, which would be 37-storeys high, would have economic benefits. | But Mr Wilson said the building of the £90m project, which would be 37-storeys high, would have economic benefits. |
| NIPSA said a number of its members were unhappy with Mr Wilson's comments. | |
| "The minister isn't a planner, that's why you have planners there who are there to make independent decisions having gone through the expertise, having gone through the training," NIPSA representative Paddy Mackel said. | |
| "They have to adhere to the planning policy, they have experts' guidance and opinions that can be given and sought and they did that." | |
| Earlier, Mr Wilson had said that "in this case" he believed the Planning Service had "failed". | |
| "There are currently millions of pounds of investment from private developers held up in the planning system," he added. | "There are currently millions of pounds of investment from private developers held up in the planning system," he added. |
| "At a time when the economy needs a boost, my view is we should be using the planning service to give it that boost." | "At a time when the economy needs a boost, my view is we should be using the planning service to give it that boost." |
| The company behind the project said it would appeal against the decision by the Planning Service to refuse planning permission. | The company behind the project said it would appeal against the decision by the Planning Service to refuse planning permission. |