“We acknowledge the frustration of the community and local business and civic stakeholders that this exciting regeneration project has been delayed”
The new developer partner for the long delayed Queens Parade development in Bangor has said it “acknowledges the frustration of the community” and hopes to return the city “to its status as a premier coastal destination for residents and visitors.”
The plan to regenerate Northern Ireland’s newest city took a step forward in May, after an announcement was made that a new developer had been found for the consortium behind the application.
The Bangor Marine conglomerate, which is behind the project, announced that Oakland Holdings will replace Farrans in the consortium. Bangor Marine Ltd will continue as a joint venture between Karl Group and Oakland Holdings. Oakland Holdings has since provided new images of what the long delayed plan will look like.
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The proposed scheme, developed by Bangor Marine Ltd, plans extensive work to a run-down area of the town. It will involve the building of new homes, a 66 bedroom hotel, a cinema and leisure facility, a public realm scheme, new streets, an events space and new cafes and restaurants.
The applicant said the project will create approximately 100 jobs per annum during construction, and 700 further jobs once it is “operational.” The former B&M Bargains, Oxfam and Hospice shops on Main Street will be demolished, as well as other buildings on King Street, Southwell Road and Queen’s Parade.
The perennially-hampered Queen’s Parade Redevelopment Scheme was described as “the laughing stock of Northern Ireland” by local MP Alex Easton, after the £50 million revamp of the city centre area and marina lost one of its consortium developers, Farrans, throwing the project into further doubt, and angering locals.
The plan for the Queen’s Parade area was originally approved by Ards and North Down Council in January 2021, but that approval was delayed for a further 14 months by the Stormont Department for Infrastructure Rivers Agency, which had been carrying out an assessment on the planning application in relation to it falling within the flood inundation zone of Clandeboye Lake. The lake is over two miles away.
The application was again approved by the council in July 2022. Two months before that, Bangor was awarded city status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, along with seven other towns across the United Kingdom.
It appeared that the new city was about to get its long-awaited face-lift, but three years after the final approval, no construction had been started. When news broke in May that construction sector giant Farrans had decided to bow out from the Bangor Marine conglomerate, which is behind the project, cynicism from locals turned to despair.
However, since the May announcement of Oakland as the replacer, hopes have arisen, and new images have been made available of the development.
Guy Hollis from Oakland Holdings has said the Belfast based developer, who successfully delivered Merchant Square and Room2 in Belfast, is “excited to be part of the team delivering the long term regeneration of Bangor.”
Mr Hollis said: “We are delighted to announce the Crown Estate has now signed all outstanding legal agreements and as of June 24 Oakland Holdings has acquired Farrans shareholding in Bangor Marine Ltd. This formalises Oakland’s partnership in this transformative project, which will put Bangor on the road to long-term and sustainable regeneration.
“The behind-the-scenes work over recent months to bring us to this point has been, by necessity, painstaking and complex, and we are acutely aware that the people of Bangor want to see immediate progress with the job of restoring the city centre’s economic and cultural vibrancy. We share that vision and enthusiasm.
“In partnership with Belfast Commercial Funding, Oakland Holdings has successfully delivered landmark projects across Northern Ireland, most recently in Belfast’s city centre, including Belfast’s first low-carbon aparthotel and the environmentally award-winning Merchant Square, PWC’s largest UK office outside London. Transforming ambitious plans into reality, while prioritising sustainability, is what we do, and we will apply this determination to Queens Parade.
“We acknowledge the frustration of the community and local business and civic stakeholders that this exciting regeneration project has been delayed and we are committed to delivering the long overdue re-imagining of Queens Parade. Our team is already working closely with the Karl Group, Ards and North Down Council, and the Department for Communities to ensure the city reaches its full potential with a fitting waterfront development that returns Bangor to its status as a premier coastal destination for residents and visitors.”
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