The disused Girdwood Barracks army base must be developed to provide much needed social housing in north Belfast, the SDLP said today.
The call came as Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie handed over the keys to the first residents of a £7.3 million housing development on the site of the former Milk Marketing Board on the Antrim Road.
SDLP councillor Pat Convery said that despite the additional accommodation, social and affordable housing for the area would remain a priority for a long time to come.
"It is essential that the Girdwood Barracks site should be developed so as to make a major contribution towards solving the housing problem," he said. There was a need to beware of spurious objections to the provision of a substantial amount of social and affordable housing on the site, he added.
"It will be a long time before this amount of development space becomes available in the area again.
"We have got to take this opportunity to provide housing as part of a balanced development, and we have absolutely got to get it right," said Councillor Convery.