What is Belfast Stories?

We are redeveloping a 5,000m² site at the top of Royal Avenue, incorporating the historic and much-loved former Bank of Ireland building.

We are working with experienced partners both locally and internationally to create a building and surrounding spaces that people want to visit, relax in and talk about.

Belfast Stories is part of the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD).

We aim to open Belfast Stories by 2030.

Belfast Stories is not just a building, it’s an idea.

We have started to map existing stories and record other stories from across the city through writing, audio recording, filming and music.

We are designing new ways for people to record and share stories, creating an archive that will live both inside and outside the building.

You can keep up to date with how we’re getting on through our social media channels.

Public space

Belfast Stories is a public space where people can gather, to share their diverse cultures and ideas.

Proposals include different types of open space in the heart of the city centre for people to relax and enjoy. At various times these spaces will be brought alive by programming that will celebrate film, music, art, dance, food, drink; and well, just being alive.

Don’t we have loads of places for that already?

Well, yes, we have some, but nothing that is centred on the stories of Belfast’s people, as well as the mavericks, misfits, legends, local heroes and moments in time that may otherwise be forgotten. And there’s also the view from the free-to-access rooftop!

Also, the Belfast Region City Deal has given us the chance to create something truly unique and of lasting significance in terms of its spirit, architecture and cultural and economic impact.

So why wouldn’t we?

Belfast Stories will bring people together in unique and inspirational ways that reflect the diversity of cultures and communities within the city.

We are working with a range of cultural and community groups to explore how best to programme and produce events that reflect the full diversity of identities and ideas in the city and how they can be explored and celebrated through filmmaking, art, music and other creative industries.

Visitor attraction

Belfast Stories is a visitor attraction which clearly communicates the spirit of the city – its past, its present and its future.

Do we really need another big tourist attraction?

Yes we do! There were 1.7m overnight trips to Belfast in 2023 but to grow this the city needs to develop the depth and range of its visitor attractions.

Belfast Stories is a unique way to help visitors get their bearings and tell them about the real heart and history of the city.

The interactive exhibitions will be visually and creatively stunning, making Belfast Stories distinctive and memorable for visitors.

Belfast Stories will tell the story of Belfast and its people in a uniquely inspiring way, boosting tourism and growing the city’s international reputation.

This is an opportunity to offer visitors a cultural experience unlike any other, using contemporary storytelling to express the city’s personality in a way that helps people understand and respond to its history and its people.

Creative hub

Belfast Stories is a creative hub where writers, musicians, artists and filmmakers can meet and work creating new stories that Belfast can bring to a global audience.

What’s the big deal about the creative industries?

The creative industries contribute over £1.3 billion a year to Northern Ireland’s economy and are a fast-growing part of our cultural and business worlds.

Belfast is gaining a reputation for being a world-class production centre for film, TV, games, art, music and writing.

It is attracting practitioners in these disciplines from all over the world who recognise that Belfast has a hugely creative energy, a distinctive independent attitude and is a fantastic place to live, work and spend time in.

We need to keep investing in that idea.

Belfast Stories will provide access to storytelling and content creation, growing the creative economy.

We will design activities, events, and programmes of learning and provide new opportunities to engage with emerging technology and support our next generation of creatives.

We will also offer facilities for showcasing, networking, and business development.

Belfast Stories Public Consultation 2025 - 2026

Belfast Stories is required by law to carry out a pre-application community consultation. This is a formal public consultation before the submission of a planning application. Its purpose is to make sure that communities are aware of, and have an opportunity to comment on, our proposals before we submit our planning application.

This process is due to begin on 13 November 2025 and will run for 12 weeks. We have events planned across the city to allow people to have their say. Proposals will also be available online from 20 November. To register for any of the events or to complete the online survey, visit our consultation hub from Thursday 13 November (link opens in new window).

Consultation documents

Events

North

Cliftonville Community Centre on Tuesday 2 December from 10am to 1pm
Duncairn Centre on Tuesday 2 December from 4pm to 7pm

South

Shaftesbury Community Centre on Monday 24 November from 4pm to 7pm
Belvoir Activity Centre on Tuesday 25 November from 9am to 12 noon

West

Whiterock Leisure Centre on Monday 24 November from 9am to 12 noon
Andersonstown Leisure Centre on Wednesday 3 December from 4pm to 7pm

Northwest

Shankill Shared Women’s Centre on Tuesday 25 November, from 4pm to 7pm
Spectrum Centre on Monday 1 December from 9am to 12 noon

East

Tullycarnet Community Centre on Wednesday 26 November from 9am to 12 noon
Skainos on Wednesday 3 December from 9am to 12 noon

Close to the development site

Denmark Street Community Centre on Thursday 27 November from 9am to 12 noon
Carrick Hill Community Centre on Thursday 4 December from 9am to 12 noon

City centre

Pop into 2 Royal Avenue where the plans will be displayed throughout the consultation period. There are scheduled drop-in clinics also taking place at 2 Royal Avenue on:

Thursday 4 December from 5pm to 7pm
Wednesday 10 December from 2 to 4pm
Monday 15 December from 10am to 12 noon.

Other events in city centre include:

family workshops on Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 November from 4pm to 7pm at St George's Market.
an event for local businesses on Monday 1 December from 2.30pm to 4.30pm in the Bank of Ireland building, 92-100 Royal Avenue.

You can join us at Olive Tree House, Fountain Street for the Belfast Stories Stakeholder Forum on 4 December at 2pm.

Public tours

We are holding free public tours of the former Bank of Ireland heritage building and surrounding site, including an overview of the development plans and design proposals on:

Saturday 15 November at 12 noon
Saturday 13 December at 12 noon

You can book a space on a tour by emailing [email protected].

More information

Facebook - @BelfastStories
Instagram - @Belfast_Stories
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 028 9032 0202 extension 6018

Belfast Stories ongoing engagement

Engagement is an ongoing, ever-evolving aspect of the Belfast Stories programme.

We want everyone to help shape Belfast Stories and have been connecting with different people and organisations through our consultations to date.

We will keep engaging throughout each stage of the Belfast Stories development process.

Our conversations will continue as the designs develop, and the story-gathering programme begins and continues through to 2030 and beyond.

We’ve already carried out two public consultations on the project, with a third due to take place from November 2025 to January 2026 as part of the planning process.

2022

The first Belfast Stories public consultation took place between August and November 2022. We asked the public and stakeholders what they thought about our early plans before any design work started.

You can read more about the 2022 Belfast Stories consultation (link opens in a new window) on our consultation platform, YourSay.

2022 consultation documents

2024 - 2025

By 2024, we had appointed our design teams and wanted to hear views on early concept designs.

A second public consultation took place from November 2024 to March 2025.

You can read more about the 2024 - 2025 Belfast Stories consultation (link opens in a new window) on our consultation platform, YourSay.

Consultation documents

2025 - 2026

The next phase of consultation opened on Thursday 13 November 2025 and will run for 12 weeks.

Read about the 2025 - 2026 consultation.

Getting involved

We hold stakeholder forums four times a year. These take place in Belfast city centre and are open to all interested parties. We also work with a range of community and cultural organisations. If you would like to find out more about how to get involved, receive further information about Belfast Stories, or for any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.