Cathedral Gardens

Cathedral Gardens transformation plans

We have exciting plans to transform Cathedral Gardens (also known as Buoys Park) into a world-class public space for people to gather, relax and play.

Our aim is to create a welcoming, attractive space for Belfast residents and visitors to enjoy all year round, night and day.

Planning permission for Cathedral Gardens

Planning permission was granted on 11 February 2025.

Location of Cathedral Gardens

Cathedral Gardens is located beside St Anne's Cathedral and Ulster University. It’s bounded by York Street and Academy Street.

Our proposals for Cathedral Gardens

We want to create a unique space that is attractive, accessible, sustainable and social. 

The key elements in our plans include:

• a space for large scale cultural events, festivals, music and markets; 
• an urban forest with a diverse mix of high canopy trees creating forest ‘rooms’;
• tree, ground and shrub plantings to attract various local bird species, insects and invertebrates;
• a space for children to enjoy in the city centre, with play, art and water features and learning sculptures in the forest rooms and children-focused events as part of the wider Cathedral Gardens events programme;
• a dedicated memorial remembering people who lost their lives in the Belfast Blitz in 1941; currently the artist is preparing design plans in partnership with the council and the Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum (NIWM) (link opens in new window). We plan to go out to tender to appoint a contractor to construct the memorial. 
• a major public artwork and other smaller artworks to energise the space;
• programmable water and lighting displays, along with audio-visual interactive art above the event space;
• Belfast Bikes stations and public transport links nearby to help make the space accessible; and
• rainwater storage to reuse on lawn areas and for water features.

We’ll post updates on our progress on this page and on our social channels.

Belfast Blitz Memorial

The memorial will recognise those who were killed ‘as a direct result of enemy action’ in the city. A total of 937 fatal casualties have already been identified using official sources and government records and NIWM is now working with Blitz historians Alan Freeburn and Dr Brian Barton to establish a definitive list of people who lost their lives as a result of these raids. If you know people whose name may not be on this list, please email supporting evidence to NIWM at [email protected] before 30 May 2025. Or, if you have memories of this time as a child – or have heard family stories passed down through the generations, please contact the museum’s Research Officer, Michael Burns, by emailing [email protected] or call 075 8863 4847, so that NIWM can document these through interviews.

Cathedral Gardens transformation plans video

This video uses computer-generated flythroughs to demonstrate our plans to transform Cathedral Gardens into an outdoor space where people can meet, relax and play. The video plays for two minutes and 17 seconds.

About our physical investment programme

The redevelopment of Cathedral Gardens is part of our physical investment programme, a £500 million city-wide commitment to making Belfast a better place to live, work, visit and invest.

The programme, which includes around 400 projects, includes major schemes to boost the economy, create jobs and improve the quality of life in our neighbourhoods.