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WQ.110/2025
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
BY DEPUTY A.F. CURTIS OF ST. CLEMENT
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 10th MARCH 2025 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 17th MARCH 2025
Question
"With regards to the Maison Les Arches (Northern Quarter) development originally approved under Planning Application PP/2015/1538, will the Minister advise –
- the justification given by the applicant, if any, for amending the layouts of multiple one-bedroom units within Block A to studio apartments;
- the justification given by the Planning Authority, if any, for allowing minor amendments to convert multiple one-bedroom units within Block A to studio apartments;
- the justification by the Department that this matter could be handled as a minor amendment, and not through a revised application;
- the number of applications in the past five years, that have had minor amendments which changed the number of bedrooms or occupancy of units in a development; and
- the number of applications approved, in the past five years, that created new studio apartments, and the total number of studio apartments approved under such permissions?"
Answer
- My officers have reviewed the application files and noted that the applicant sought changes in blocks A, B and C of this development at the same time. The alterations in blocks B&C were sought on the basis of requirements of Building Bye-laws, following advice from a fire engineer.
In respect of block A, the applicant advised that the five units to be changed from 1 bed apartments to studio apartments did not meet Andium's needs in terms of their floor area requirements and they considered a Studio layout more appropriate which would also meet existing demand.
- There is no written record of a justification for this.
- This was a judgement exercised by the case officer at the time based on the nature of the amendments in the wider context of the approved scheme.
- This would require the department to review every application for new residential development over the past 5 years. There has not been sufficient time to undertake this exercise since the question was submitted. In future, the implementation of the new RIDA system should allow for this kind of information to be established more easily
- There has not been sufficient time to establish an answer to this since the question as submitted.. In future, the implementation of the new RIDA system should allow for this kind of information to be established more easily