Cathedral Gardens

Cathedral Gardens transformation plans

Work is in progress to transform Cathedral Gardens 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.

Work started on the project in January 2026. The public space will reopen in spring 2027.

Location of Cathedral Gardens

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

Our plan for Cathedral Gardens

The key features in the new public space include:

• an event 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 children’s play area inspired by nature, plus a separate interactive digital play zone
• a dedicated memorial remembering people who lost their lives in the Belfast Blitz in 1941. Artists Ralf Sander and Naomi Sander are working with the Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum (NIWM)  (link opens in new window) on the designs
• programmable lighting to illuminate the space in different colours, and a projection system which will cast images onto the walls of the Ulster University building, and
• rainwater storage to reuse on lawn areas and for water features.

Cathedral Gardens transformation plans video

This video uses computer-generated images to show our plans for Cathedral Gardens. The video plays for 56 seconds.

Belfast Blitz Memorial

A new dedicated memorial to the people of Belfast who died during the Blitz will be installed as part of the redevelopment of Cathedral Gardens.

We’re delivering the project in partnership with Northern Ireland War Memorial (NIWM) Museum.

It is anticipated that the memorial will be unveiled in spring 2027, when the revamped Cathedral Gardens reopens.

The memorial is being designed by acclaimed artist Ralf Sander, and his daughter Naomi Sander from Studio Sander and Sander.

It will list the names of the 952 people who are known to have been killed during four bombing raids in 1941. These became known as the Dockside Raid (7 and 8 April), Easter Tuesday Raid (15 and 16 April), Fire Raid (4 and 5 May) and the Final Raid (5 and 6 May).

Visitors to the memorial will see themselves reflected in an historical image of the bombed-out Belfast International Bar, which once stood on the site of the planned artwork.

A large bronze relief, based on photographs of Belfast taken during and after the Blitz, will also incorporate details and references to historical events, with a focus on the people of Belfast. 

Watch

You can watch our 3-minute 9 second video about the design of the Belfast Blitz Memorial with Michael Fryer (Northern Ireland War Memorial) and the sculptor, Ralf Sander.

Our physical investment programme for Belfast

The redevelopment of Cathedral Gardens is part of our physical investment programme, a £600 million city-wide commitment to making Belfast a better place to live, work, visit and invest.