Half-way through the decade there is a mixed picture
Towards the end of the last decade, and at the beginning of our current one, a series of major planning decisions and proposals promised to transform Belfast City Centre.
These “game-changing” big developments were hailed as a breakthrough, and would regenerate derelict streets and vacant buildings, and bring life to wastelands.
At the turn of the decade, the mood at City Hall, in the Belfast Chamber of Commerce and in the Business Districts was one of optimism, after the disastrous effects of the Primark fire. This hope echoed the political optimism of New Decade, New Approach, the January 2020 agreement which restored the government of the Northern Ireland Executive after a three-year hiatus.
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Planning approvals such as the Tribeca Development, which aimed to transform run-down areas in the Cathedral Quarter; the Sirocco development, which planned a whole new community on wasteland in the Waterside area, and the new Grand Central Station and Weaver’s Cross scheme would reframe the city, or so their champions thought.
However, further economic hardship and personal tragedy was to come with the coronavirus>Covid pandemic, and the city centre continued to make headlines for all the wrong reasons, with cleanliness, homelessness and antisocial behaviour issues turning people away.
Business and construction across the city started to eventually recover from the shocks in the early parts of decade, while street reanimation schemes and the constant flow of approvals for new purpose built student accommodation and hotels actively started to change the city centre, at both the level of eyeline and skyline.
But what of the “game-changing” developments that were supposed to make the city unrecognisable by 2030? Now that we are just past the mid-point of the decade, it might be a good time to update ourselves on the progress, or lack of, on some of these big beasts of development in Belfast.
The Tribeca Development
Tribeca, trailed as the largest regeneration plan the city had seen in a generation, has in fact become the most controversial planning application in a generation, and not a shovel has been lifted since the £500m urban regeneration scheme was finally approved by Belfast City Council in January 2020.
The plan, by London company Castlebrooke Investments, covers a 12-acre site located beside St Anne’s Cathedral, bounded by Royal Avenue, Donegall Street, Lower Garfield Street and Rosemary Street.
The plans include the pedestrianisation of North Street, a new North Street Arcade, a ten storey office block, the reduction of Writer’s Square by over 50 percent, and the introduction of new streets and green spaces. The development was to include residential, business and commercial space, with a series of full demolitions of non-listed buildings planned along Rosemary Street, North Street, Temple Court, St Anne’s Court and Donegall Street.
Five and a half years later, these streets have even greater levels of vacancy and dereliction, and remain sad shadows of their former selves. Local politicians, particularly those from the parties that voted against the development, from the Green Party, the SDLP and People Before Profit, have been very vocal in their criticism of the developer, with some accusing the company of “land-banking” – the practice of acquiring and holding land with the intention of developing it or selling it for profit at a future date when its value has increased.
After much discussion over the lack of progress, in meetings both in public and in private, Belfast Council said it would begin proceedings to vest the lands owned by Castlebrooke, that is, to take over the land. In January 2024 the council’s chief executive John Walsh announced the local authority would be looking at acquiring a huge swathe of derelict Belfast City Centre property from Castlebrooke Investments.
Vesting or “compulsory purchase” is acquiring land without agreement, and the council could receive power to vest the site from the Stormont Department for Communities. Compulsory purchase powers can support the delivery of a range of development, regeneration and infrastructure projects in the public interest.
Since this announcement, in a move originally championed by the Alliance Party, the council has confirmed it is making a move to purchase the historic Assembly Rooms.
Belfast Council stated in their latest update: “At a special meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 9 July 2025, elected members agreed that the council should purchase the Assembly Rooms and associated lands.
“The committee gave authority for the council to make an offer to the landowner, Castlebrooke Investments. These lands include part of the Donegall Street car park, 5-9 North Street (former Laffin Travel building) and Braddell’s Building, a Grade B1 listed building at 11 North Street. This decision remains subject to ratification at the next full meeting of council on Monday 1 September.
“The council remains committed to doing all it can to secure progress on the wider Tribeca site and is continuing to liaise with the landowner, as well as the relevant government departments with regeneration powers, in this regard.”
Grand Central Station/Weaver’s Cross
While the Grand Central Station development has gathered its fair share of controversy, and even protest, no one can say it hasn’t progressed at a rapid pace.
The new hub was opened in Autumn 2024, and Translink say tens of thousands of additional passenger journeys have already been made since then. The public transport body’s website states: “More people are enjoying the benefits of bus and train travel following the opening of Belfast Grand Central Station.
“A game changer for the whole of Northern Ireland, it’s reimagining how people travel for a better, more inclusive and sustainable future for generations to come.” Translink says user feedback shows a 96 percent satisfaction rating.
The project saw works in the vicinity involving the demolition of the Boyne Bridge, which has provoked regular protest from local residents and objections from the Orange Order, while the opening of the station created havoc on city centre traffic in the crucial run-up to Christmas, with Durham Street and Glengall Street being closed to through-traffic. Sandy Row business owners said the road closures have decimated an already struggling area.
Translink in its most recent update states: “Work on the public realm scheme around Belfast Grand Central Station is progressing well. As part of this there will be new pick up/set down areas. We aim to be in a position to confirm a re-opening date for Durham Street soon.”
In the summer this year, the old Europa bus centre space off Glengall Street was overtaken by HALT, a popular new “meanwhile-use” space for entertainment, street food, art and live music. This represents the first baby steps for the “Weaver’s Cross” element of the development.
The Weaver’s Cross project proposes to redevelop lands freed up by the closure of the Europa Bus Station and Great Victoria Street train station and other vacant lands in the ownership of Translink. The proposals are described by the applicant, the government owned Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, as being a “transport-led regeneration” with a focus on “placemaking and public realm, environmental sustainability and delivering economic and social value.”
In September 2022 Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee unanimously approved “outline” permission for this major regeneration development. The mixed-use development will be located to the east and west of Durham Street, south of Grosvenor Road, stretching as far as Sandy Row, and involves new office space, residential apartments and a hotel.
It is also planned to provide new public realm space, active travel, hospitality and community uses. Around a fifth of this space has been proposed for housing, with a fifth of the residential space set aside for social/affordable housing. So far, no work has been done on the ground for Weaver’s Cross, but more specific planning applications are expected.
Sirocco Works/Waterside development
The Waterside development plan, on the site of the old Sirocco Works, has very much gone the way of Tribeca, but without the uproar and press coverage. In the six years since its approval at Belfast City Council, again, there is not a lot to show on site.
In June 2019 the council’s Planning Committee approved the £450 million plan, by developers Osborne and Co, again based in England, for 675 homes, office buildings, a hotel and a creative hub on a 16 acre site on the banks of the Lagan. The site has been vacant since 1999.
In 2024, Osborne and Co said they remained “committed” to their plan amidst speculation when another party promoted a basketball arena concept for the former Sirocco site. The site remains vacant.
Belfast Stories
The £100 million Belfast Stories development was announced in December 2021, a project involving the creation of a huge new visitor attraction, creative hub and public space. The plan is a flagship project within the tourism and regeneration strand of the Belfast Region City Deal, and is due to open in 2030.
Part of the new visitor attraction will be housed in one of Belfast’s most beloved heritage buildings, the art deco former Bank of Ireland building on Royal Avenue, which was acquired by Belfast City Council along with the surrounding 5,000 sq metres site.
The council acquired carried out two public consultations on what should be included in the project. The 77-page first consultation report was published in summer 2023 and included interviews with over 680 people. A second consultation was held between December 2024 and April 2025, with market testing conducted via focus groups, engagement with tour operators and online surveys covering international and domestic consumers in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Ireland, USA, France and Germany.
A council report on the second consultation states: “Almost three-quarters (74 percent) of survey respondents overall would consider visiting the Belfast Stories experience, four in five (83 percent) survey respondents overall felt that the Belfast Stories experience was exciting, whilst 63 percent felt that it was unique. Of the three key elements of the Belfast Stories experience, the public spaces were most likely to have been ranked first in terms of appeal, followed by the main paid exhibition, then the creative hub.
“The potential sustainability of Belfast Stories is supported by these initial results. In particular there is a strong level of interest in the breadth of the offer and from across several markets both domestic and international including daytrippers.”
For those interested in finding out more about the project, there will be tours of the former Bank of Ireland building on Royal Avenue during European Heritage Open Days in September.
Cathedral Gardens
In February this year, Belfast Council’s Planning Committee gave the green light for plans to transform Cathedral Gardens in the city centre into a unique civic space with a public plaza to hold small events, an urban forest/woodland garden area and a play zone for children with digital art displays.
With new lighting, planting and seating and public realm enhancements, the plans will also include a new memorial installed to remember the World War II Belfast Blitz, developed with the Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum.
The council hopes to appoint a contractor in November 2025 to start work on site in Winter 25/26. It’s anticipated that the construction process will take 12 to 15 months.
Other projects
Belfast Council has also pointed to other initiatives championed by City Hall for residential living in the city core. Last December, in a move to accelerate city centre living and housing regeneration across the city, the council announced it had selected construction and civil-engineering company GRAHAM as its long-term partner to deliver residential-led, mixed-use, sustainable developments across multiple sites.
The council said: “With an overall development potential of £630m, this initial partnership phase leverages strategic council-owned city centre sites with a development value of £280m, which will deliver mixed tenure homes to help meet the needs of those wishing to live in the city. This innovative approach will help drive forward city centre living and housing-led regeneration across the city.”
In May this year, Belfast Council said its three year old Vacant to Vibrant City Centre programme, launched to incentivise take up of empty units, would generate over £3.5 million in rates. That equals a return of almost £4 for every £1 allocated in grants. Businesses and organisations that benefitted from the scheme include Another World, ArtsEkta, Bodega Bagels, Golden Thread Gallery, High Society, Michele International Hairdressing, Neighbourhood Café, Sloan’s Gym, Vault Artist Studios and Verona Bridal.
Of 48 grants awarded, 23 have helped, or are helping to regenerate a historic building or building of interest. Round House Bakery, for example, will be using their funding to bring artisan sourdough breads, pastries, and pizza to a unit in Cathedral Buildings, after it was almost destroyed by fire three years ago. Although the city centre funding has been fully allocated and the scheme is now closed, the council is currently inviting further applications for its citywide Vacant to Vibrant scheme.
The council is also progressing work on a project called “Under the Bridges” in partnership with Belfast Harbour to introduce new public realm in the City Quays/Sailortown area. The scheme involves active travel infrastructure and the development of underutilised spaces under the M3 bridges. There are also plans for a new walking and cycle bridge between Sailortown and Queen’s Island.
Donegall Place/Royal Avenue
The city centre Business Improvement District, Belfast One, meanwhile has said the core’s most important shopping street, Donegall Place, is in a state of rude health, and is looking forward to full occupancy by the end of the summer, marking a major milestone for the organisation’s city centre retail revival mission.
A number of brands have opened or are set to open and expand in Belfast city centre over the summer and in the coming months, including major developments such as Victoria’s Secret on Donegall Place and LEGO and Bershka in Victoria Square.
Belfast One’s latest statistics reveal that Belfast city centre is experiencing a period of notable growth, with footfall up 6.5 percent already this year to date. Royal Avenue has witnessed a particularly strong performance with a 22 percent year-on-year increase, while Donegall Place is up seven percent.
Martina Connolly, CEO of Belfast One BID, said: “We are delighted to see Donegall Place on its way to becoming fully occupied once again. There have been several vacant units in recent years and whilst, like every city, there is still work to be done to improve the city centre, this milestone is a clear indicator of Belfast city centre’s ongoing growth and transformation, as we continue to witness increased footfall across the city centre.
“The hoarding for one store is coming down this week and right across the street, the hoarding has gone up, which is just one example of the significant changes we are seeing to the retail landscape in Belfast city centre. There are also a number of active works happening in other city centre locations to create extended retail space. ” She adds: “Watch this space.”
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