Permanent residential housing retention requirement

It is vitally important that such accommodation does not compromise the supply of conventional housing and the high-level aim to grow the population of Belfast. As more and more properties are being offered for short-term let, assisted by the rise in on-line hosting sites and the lucrative returns available to property owners, the council has taken a proactive stance to actively manage the supply of this type of accommodation. Accordingly, where the proposal is to change the use of existing permanent housing, the council will require part of the property to be retained as permanent residential housing, in addition to meeting the wider requirements of policy HOU3 on protection of existing residential accommodation.