Fears that a £250m development in the heart of Belfast’s historic docks would damage nearby landmark buildings have been dismissed by Northern Ireland’s environment minister.
Granting outline planning permission for the City Quays 1 development plan, Mark Durkan said he had considered worries over the proximity of two listed buildings but, “concluded that on balance the regeneration potential of the development coupled with the prospective economic benefits and associated job creation outweighs these concerns”.
Conservation officers within the minister’s own department — the Historic Monuments section of the Department of the Environment — had claimed that building the mixed-use scheme on a peninsula site between the Clarendon wet dock and the River Lagan — and close to where the Seacat ferry terminal once stood — would damage the Harbour Commissioners Office and the historic Sinclair Seaman’s Church. Both buildings are Grade II listed.
When completed the 20-acre site would house a five-storey office building, a hotel, numerous cafes and restaurants, retail outlets and parking. A second nine-storey block will be added during future expansion.
Part of Northern’s Ireland’s Environment Agency, the Historic Monuments Unit is a statutory consultee, but does not have the power to veto a development. When the project was first unveiled last year it said it needed more information about the precise height of the buildings, their finishes and street level frontages before it could “fully assess the application”.
“This project will revitalise a site which has been underused for a number of years,” stressed Durkan. “The mix of residential and business uses plus a hotel, small scale retail services and restaurants will make this a vibrant hub which is more accessible for everyone.
“This approval will provide much needed high specification office accommodation in an attractive waterfront location,” the minister added. “And, having this in place, should help attract investment and encourage further job creation.”
Submitted by the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, its property director Graeme Johnston explained the project will also help connect the area to the city centre. The scheme has been specifically designed to open up a riverside link to the maritime heritage area at the heart of the site.
“City Quays is an extension of the highly successful Clarendon Dock development (pictured),” he added. “This development will regenerate a significant section of Belfast’s waterfront and help reconnect the river frontage to the city.”
As an office-led, mixed-use scheme Johnston hoped it would appeal to potential inward investors and growing local businesses alike. Construction of the 83,000sq ft office phase is already underway. “The granting of outline planning approval for the entire scheme will now enable Belfast Harbour to progress more detailed plans and showcase the full City Quays project to potential investors,” said Johnston.
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