Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee has signed off on alterations and refurbishment of the listed former home of the Belfast School of Music at Donegall Pass in south Belfast, The Irish News reported.
The red brick, three-story B1 listed building, constructed in 1934 as the McQuiston Memorial Primary School and designed by Belfast Corporation architect R.S. Wilshere, became the City of Belfast School of Music in 1964, providing tuition to the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra and youth concert bands, according to the report.
The music school relocated in 2009 to the former Castle High School in Fortwilliam Park, and the building sat vacant for years, The Irish News reported. It returned to use in September of last year after Belfast City Council announced a £2.7 million funding investment, with the newly approved works resulting from that investment.
A council planning report states the refurbishment and addition of a lift will ensure the building continues as a community facility for music and arts. The report says the works will preserve and restore features of architectural and historical importance, with the lift extension considered minor and not impacting the listed building’s character. The Department for Communities Historic Environment Division was consulted and raised no objections, according to the report.
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