Section 1 - Defining the activity subject to Section 1(1) of the Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016
1A. Name of Public Authority
Belfast City Council
1B. Please provide a short title, which describes the activity being undertaken by the Public Authority that is subject to the Section 1(1) of the Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016.
Belfast Stories planning application
1C. Please indicate which category the activity specified in Section 1B above relates to.
Developing a plan.
Designing a public service.
1D. Please provide the official title (if any) of the Policy, Strategy, Plan for Public Service document or initiative relating to the category indicated in Section 1C above.
Not applicable.
1E. Please provide details of the aims and/or objectives of the Policy, Strategy, Plan or Public Service.
Belfast Stories is a new visitor attraction, public space and creative hub that will open at the former Bank of Ireland buildings, 92 Royal Avenue by 2030. Inside the 5,000m2 venue, there will be stories told by people who have lived in or visited Belfast.
The project is being developed in line with the planning stages recommended by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). There are eight RIBA stages.
An initial public consultation and rural needs analysis was carried out as part of RIBA 1 between August to November 2022 as part of RIBA 1 (Preparation and briefing). It gathered ideas and evidence to help shape the design brief.
The second public consultation was carried out between November 2024 and March 2025 during RIBA stage 2 (Concept design). It gathered ideas and evidence to shape initial architectural and curatorial concepts.
Belfast Stories is now at RIBA stage 3 (Spatial coordination). Feedback on the architectural concept received during the second public consultation has been used to develop more detailed plans of the exterior and interior of the building. These will be consulted on between 13 November 2025 and 5 February 2026 as part of the process of obtaining planning permission.
Belfast Stories aims to attract both tourists and local people. As part of the Belfast Region City Deal, it also aims to help regenerate the city and surrounding areas.
Its benefits are both social and economic and have been defined as follows.
- Better together. This means it will bring people together to enjoy a new public space where everyone will feel welcome and represented.
- Welcoming all. It will be a new visitor attraction that will benefit Belfast’s tourism industry. Tourists who will learn about Belfast and where else in the city they should visit, enhancing the city’s reputation as a visitor destination.
- Inspiring creativity. It will be a creative hub where people and communities can meet, learn and collaborate. This will help support the creative industries and creative opportunities for more people of all ages and from diverse backgrounds.
