MoD to sell Harmony House site

The MoD has applied for planning permission to demolish the 27,000 square feet of office space on the site to make way for up to 24 houses.

Their outline scheme includes 13 five bedroom homes, six four bedroom houses and five three bedroom homes.

They would replace the two storey office building which was built by the army in 1976 and used through the Troubles.

The closure of the base, which is on a 4.6 acre site off Queensway, was announced by the government in 2006 as part of the normalisation process.

When it was vacated in 2007 there were originally plans to sell the site at auction. But now, over three years later, the Ministry has instead lodged the application for housing first.

As the application is still in the planning stages, the MoD said they could not give a time frame for when any work would begin.

However, a spokesperson stressed that if the plans are given the go ahead they would be selling the site.

"We intend to sell the site with outline planning permission but any future purchaser of the site will have to submit an application for full planning permission, which will have to be granted before any construction takes place," the spokesperson said.

"An outline planning application has been submitted for 24 properties, with an indicative mix of five three-bedroom houses, six four-bedroom houses and 13 five-bedroom houses. The application is being assessed by the local planning authority.

"The MOD will not build this development and will retain no interest when the site is sold. All properties will be open-market houses."