Belfast opportunities
18 Central, Corporation Street
A substantial build-to-rent development in the cultural heart of Belfast, 18Central will see the creation of 298 new city centre homes. The homes will benefit from a resident concierge service, retail and extensive amenity spaces, including roof terraces overlooking Belfast, a gym, communal lounges and a semi-public central courtyard linking Tomb Street and Corporation Street. The new development, which is only a two minute walk to the new Ulster University city centre campus, has been designed with a focus on sustainable living, with the homes coming in a range of sizes and layouts that will appeal to families, individuals and those looking to downsize and live in the city centre. Its location, with excellent travel connectivity, is in close proximity to active and public transport hubs and adjacent to many of the city’s leading bars and restaurants in Cathedral Quarter. A major investment in the city, developing an important ‘gap site’ between the city centre and Titanic Quarter, the scheme significantly contributes to Belfast City Council’s goal of increasing the population of the city centre by 66,000 by 2035 and providing much-needed public realm upgrades.
| Scale of development | A £80 million Build-to-Rent development offering 298 new homes |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Build-to-Rent, Residential |
| Location | Belfast city centre |
| Investment Type | Equity / Development Funding |
| Programme | Opportunities available now |
| Planning Status | Planning approved |
| Land Owner | MRP (link opens in new window) |
Queen’s Quay
Queen’s Quay is a major waterfront Belfast city centre development opportunity consisting of 13,000 metres² of prime development land and offering the potential development of over 50,000m2 of commercial space, including residential, Grade A workspace and ‘active’ retail and leisure opportunities. Situated at one of the most strategic gateways from the city centre to east Belfast, the site is adjacent to landmark visitor attractions, including The Odyssey SSE Arena and Titanic Belfast. As the landing point for the Lagan Weir Bridge, it’s also attractive for water-based leisure activity. Owned wholly by the public sector, the Department for Communities is developing the hard infrastructure requirements to maximise development potential and provide a seamless approach to market.
| Scale of Development | £100 million with total floor space of over 50,000 metres2 |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Office, residential, hotel, mixed commercial |
| Location | East of Belfast city centre |
| Planning Status | Outline Planning Permission expected early 2025 |
Belfast Stories
Belfast Stories is a transformative £100m tourism-led regeneration project in the heart of Belfast city centre, on the edge of the historic Cathedral Quarter. This landmark development is a flagship project in the £1bn Belfast Region City Deal programme of investment. Due to open in 2030, Belfast Stories will restore one of the city’s most loved and unique heritage buildings, the art deco former Bank of Ireland building on Royal Avenue. This building forms part of a 4,000m2 site, acquired by Belfast City Council for redevelopment as a world-class, interactive and immersive visitor destination that tells the stories of Belfast; the people and the place. Belfast Stories will also accommodate a new state-of-the-art multi- screen centre, supported by vibrant public spaces to meet, eat, drink, shop, network, enjoy new cultural experiences and relax.
| Scale of development | Circa £100 million with 3500sqm outdoor space and 8000sqm indoor space |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Tourism, culture, leisure, amenity |
| Location | Belfast city centre |
| Programme | Construction estimated to commence in 2026. Opening 2030. |
| Planning Status | Concept design stage to complete March 2025. Stage 3, planning to commence April 2025 |
City Quays
City Quays is a £275 million, eight-hectare, mixed-use waterfront regeneration project located on former docklands at the edge of Belfast city centre. Three BREEAM Excellent, Grade A offices have now been completed, providing 40,000m2 of BREEAM Excellent accommodation, and home to blue-chip occupiers such as Baker McKenzie, ITV, TP ICAP, Aflac and, most recently, Investec, B-Secur and Santander, covering the legal, media, finance, IT, medtech and insurance sectors. Planning consent has been achieved for a further phase of office development, which will deliver best in class ESG credentials and offer a mix of office and retail spaces, including a roof top restaurant/bar. Other completed City Quays developments include a four-star, 188-bed AC by Marriott hotel, a 900-space multi-storey car park and a vibrant new ‘green’ urban garden on a 0.8-hectare site between the City Quays waterfront buildings and the historic Belfast Harbour Office, designed to achieve the ‘One Planet Living’ environmental accreditation, a first in Northern Ireland. Building on this momentum, Belfast Harbour is bringing forward further projects to make City Quays a vibrant and exciting place to live, with 2,566 water-fronting ‘Build-to- Rent’ residential units and 69 Affordable Homes, both of which have been granted Full Planning Approval. In addition, masterplanning is under way for upwards of 700 further mixed tenure residential units, creating a safe and inclusive neighbourhood with all the benefits of waterfront living.
| Scale of development | £275 million |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Mixed-use Grade A office space, hotel, retail, residential and hotel |
| Location | Waterfront location. Belfast city centre |
| Planning Status | Critical mass of development delivered and Full Planning consent in place for more than 250 Build-to-Rent residential units, 69 affordable homes and a Grade A office to include retail and restaurant. Planning approval for a further 700 residential units will be sought during 2025. |
Giant’s Park - CleanTech Park
At approximately 340 acres, the Giant’s Park, North Foreshore site is Belfast’s largest development site ever offered to the market. Reclaimed from Belfast Lough, this landmark site is situated adjacent to the main motorway network and Belfast Harbour. With the support of Invest NI, Belfast City Council is promoting a CleanTech park which provides developers, occupiers and investors with the opportunity to be part of a cutting edge business sector. The CleanTech park is located within the overall Giant’s Park North Foreshore of c. 30 acres, with serviced sites available up to 13 acres.
| Scale of development | C. 30 acres |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Cleantech |
| Location | 3km from Belfast city centre |
| Planning Status | Masterplan prepared as a Local Area Plan key site requirement |
Giant’s Park - Leisure / Commercial opportunity
This 250 acre site will comprise four key zones:
- Pit Stop Hub (PFS / Hotel / F&B / Service Retail)
- Distribution and Logistics Hub
- Welcome Hub
- Adventure Park
A Welcome Hub will be located at the entrance to the site, comprising a Petrol Filling Station (PFS), fast food outlets, coffee shop and hotel. Adjacent to this will be a c. 600,000ft2 Distribution and Logistics Park, developed to provide best-in-class accommodation and to provide much-needed space and meet the evolving needs of local consumers. The northern portion of the site will be transformed into a major urban park which will be the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.
| Scale of development | 250 acres |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Service retail, Food and beverage, Leisure, Tourism, Logistics and industrial |
| Location | Giant’s Park is attractively located and readily accessible due to its proximity to Junction 1 of the M2, connecting Belfast to the wider motorway network and offering unrivalled accessibility province-wide. |
One Fountain Street
Situated in a vibrant area of the city with numerous bars, restaurants and leisure amenities nearby. The site is also within walking distance of the new Ulster University campus and Belfast Stories - a transformative £100m tourism-led regeneration project, which is due to open in 2030. It also offers 32 sheltered cycle storage to promote active travel and extensive provision of shower changing facilities and lockers.
| Scale of development | £75m GDV new build development providing 160,000 ft2 Grade A office accommodation |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Office, Commercial, Retail |
| Location | Belfast city centre |
| Investment Type | Equity / Development Funding |
| Programme | Opportunities available now |
| Planning Status | Planning approved |
| Land Owner | MRP (link opens in new window) |
Queen’s University Belfast
£3billion to the economy annually, Queen’s University is developing an exciting estates masterplan over the next 10 years, which will include the development of new and additional education, residential and recreational spaces. With more than 25,000 students and 4,500 employed at Queen’s from almost 100 countries, campus life is diverse, rich and exciting. Overall demand for purpose-built student accommodation is on the rise in Belfast and the university has indicated that it requires 2,500-3,000 more student bed spaces by the end of this decade. Provision is underway for up to 800 bedrooms and 154 apartments across three Belfast sites in response to this growing need. Additional investment and developments close to Queen’s campus are required to cater for the additional 1,700-2,200 student places required by 2030. Queen’s, together with Ulster University, is leading on the development of the £330m capital build as part of the Belfast Region City Deal innovation pillar; a suite of five projects with a common thread of digital innovation. The three Queen’s-led projects are the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre, Momentum One Zero and iREACH Health representing a transformational £230m programme of innovation. Our ambition emphasises the key role Queen’s is bringing to lasting economic and social benefits to the people of Northern Ireland and beyond.
| Scale of development | Potential development phases over the next ten years, total more than £0.5bn |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Residential, educational and recreation |
| Location | Citywide |
| Planning Status | In development |
Residential-led developments
The proposed project combines a number of prime sites located in the heart of Belfast city centre and ideally placed for residential-led placemaking development. The promoter, Belfast City Council, has successfully appointed property investor and developer GRAHAM as its delivery partner to act as master developer to deliver residential-led mixed-use developments to support its ambition of substantially growing the number of new city centre homes by 2035. By combining these sites, this project offers the opportunity to bring forward housing-led development at scale across a range of tenures. Based on preliminary indicative studies, it is envisaged that initial sites which could be brought forward within the city centre have an estimated GDV of £280m and not less than 850 residential units, alongside supporting commercial, community space and public realm. Additional sites owned by the council, other public sector bodies or other third parties, have also been identified with the opportunity across the city to produce a total potential GDV of £350m.
| Scale of development | £630m GDV |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Residential-led and commercial, community and public realm |
| Location | Belfast city centre |
| Investment Type | Investor |
| Planning Status | Pre-Planning Stage |
The Sixth
The Sixth is a major redevelopment project that will bring the iconic former Belfast Telegraph building back into active use. Delivered by BelTel LLP, the first joint venture by Belfast City Council with a private developer, MRP, this 233,000 sq ft mixed-use scheme has achieved planning for state-of-theart workspace and active ground floor uses such as cafés, restaurants and retail. Designed by Stirling Prize-winning architectural practice Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), the wellbeing and experience of its users are at the core of its design. The scheme will deliver the first running track within an office development in the city, located on the roof level, in addition to multiple terraces and extensive wellbeing and green travel facilities. The workspace has the flexibility to accommodate global headquarters, with floorplates of up to 30,000 sq ft, and would work equally well for smaller enterprises with the potential to expand. This prime mixed-use development has the flexibility to be brought forward in phases in a variety of uses, to include, but not limited to, Hotel / Leisure, Life Science, Grade A office and Residential. Northern Ireland has one of the fastest growing technology clusters in the UK, with Cyber Security and Fintech particular areas of strength, and the scheme, adjacent to Ulster University’s new campus, is strategically located to cater to this emerging creative district catering to the Education, Media, Technology, Health and Life Sciences sectors in Belfast city centre. The Sixth’s location also benefits from being in close proximity to the proposed £100m Belfast Stories visitor attraction, set to open in 2030. This new world class tourist attraction will drive footfall to this part of the city, helping to improve the vibrancy of the area. The forelisted Seaver building offers a compelling proposition for hotel development opportunities as part of a wider mixed-use development of The Sixth.
| Scale of development | £100million GDV with 233,000ft2 total floor area |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Offices, Mixed Commercial, Hotel, Residential, Life Sciences |
| Location | Belfast city centre |
| Investment Type | Equity / Development Funding |
| Programme | Opportunities available now |
| Planning Status | Planning approved |
| Land Owner | Bel Tel LLP (link opens in new window) |
Titanic Quarter, Belfast
Titanic Quarter on Belfast’s Maritime Mile has evolved from masterplan to reality as a thriving and bustling destination, where some 20,000 people live, work, visit and stay daily. With over £650 million having already been invested in Titanic Quarter, delivering homes for over 1,000 residents, it is Northern Ireland’s leading visitor and leisure destination and generates 12,200 direct and indirect jobs for the city. Titanic Quarter is currently home to over 100 multinational companies, including Citi, HBO, Amazon, Artemis Technologies and Catagen. Olympic House, recently completed and now ready for occupiers, is the district’s most recent flagship office development built to a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standard and does not use fossil fuels. Construction of Loft Lines (778 new apartment homes) started in June 2023 and represents the largest ever private sector investment into housing in Northern Ireland. The construction of the Hamilton Dock Hotel (228 beds) started in December 2023. Both of these projects will be completed in 2026. Titanic Quarter’s ambition over the next 10 years is to increase the investment to £2 billion, create over £0.5 billion of social value, grow its residential population to over 9,000 residents and increase the number of direct and indirect jobs to 27,100. Titanic Quarter continues to pioneer sustainable development and place making, creating a healthy and active environment for all.
| Scale of development | Potential development phases over the next 10 years, totalling £1.4 billion |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Mixed commercial, retail, offices, residential, cultural, leisure and tourism |
| Location | Titanic Quarter, Belfast |
| Investment Type | Project Promoter, project equity, project debt and occupancy |
| Programme | Ongoing opportunities |
| Planning Status | A Planning Development Framework has been approved for the regeneration of Titanic Quarter, which provides multiple investment opportunities. |
| Land Owner | Titanic Quarter Limited and Belfast Harbour (link opens in new window) |
Weavers Cross
Weavers Cross is a transport-led regeneration project which will deliver 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use development opportunities in Belfast city centre. The adjacent Belfast Grand Central Station, developed and operated by Translink, is a £340m flagship investment project is the largest integrated transport facility on the island of Ireland. The station is expected to accommodate 20 million passenger journeys per annum and enhances local and international connectivity on all bus and rail journeys alongside active travel. There is also a new hourly Enterprise service between Grand Central Station and Connolly Station in Dublin, along with direct links to all the major airports. MRP has been appointed by Translink as Development Partner to develop the lands surrounding Belfast Grand Central Station. Outline Planning Permission has already been secured for Weavers Cross. The masterplan involves the potential for 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use office, life sciences, residential, hotels and retail/leisure space, presenting a unique opportunity to transform and regenerate a current brownfield site and create a new destination in the heart of the city. The site comprises an excellent opportunity for a world class innovation district, with large floorplates of up to 30,000 sq. ft to cater for Life Science, Technology and Financial Services markets, conveniently located and within walking distance of the city’s main hospitals and universities. The project will support the regeneration of nearby communities, create a new gateway to Belfast, as well as stimulating further economic opportunities.
| Scale of development | c. £500 million with total floor area of c. 1,500,000 sq/ft |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Offices, hotel, life sciences, residential, retail, leisure and amenity |
| Location | Belfast city centre |
| Investment Type | Equity investor/ funder, end users |
| Programme | Opportunities available from Q3 2025 |
| Planning Status | Outline Permission Granted |
| Land Owner | Translink (link opens in new window) |
The Waterside Belfast
The Waterside Belfast represents an opportunity to invest in a prime waterfront location in central Belfast – something that caters for the needs of the hotel, student, serviced apartments, residential and office sectors. Spanning 16 acres of prime riverfront land, the site is conveniently located only 750 metres from the refurbished Lanyon Place train station. The location is a short walk along the river Lagan to the city centre which provides high-quality amenities such as Victoria Square retail destination. This pivotal site reconnects Belfast city centre and embraces its most iconic natural asset, the River Lagan. The location provides unparalleled connection to central Belfast and the surrounding areas. It is the site of the former Sirocco engineering works and represents one of the largest remaining development opportunity sites in the city centre. Osborne + Co has over 25 years of experience in global real estate development, investment and asset management. Investor involvement is flexible with a range of options available.
| Scale of development | GDV £500 million, 16 acres, c. 2m ft2 development |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | PBSA, BTR, Private & Social Residential, Hotel, Serviced Apartments, Office, Retail, Food & Beverage. |
| Location | Belfast city centre - River Lagan |
| Investment Type | Equity / Development funding |
| Programme | Opportunities available now |
| Planning Status | Outline planning for entire site and detailed in part. |
| Land Owner | Swinford (Sirocco) Ltd (link opens in new window) |
TQ PBMSA Student Village
Titanic Quarter Student Village is a new Purpose-Built Managed Student Accommodation (PBMSA) development located in the historical maritime site and upcoming waterfront community in Titanic Quarter, Belfast.
The new PBMSA development composed of 1,007 student bedrooms with a mix of bedroom types including cluster rooms and studios, with additional use of accommodation by further or higher education institutions outside term time, is comprised of four blocks of accommodation with building heights ranging from five to nine storeys and up to 35,850sqm gross external floorspace.
Within the scheme, student residents can avail of the various communal facilities promoting health and wellness, private or group study, or meet friends in one of the recreation spaces. Associated communal facilities include landscape courtyards, shared space such as student lounges, private dining rooms, screen rooms, flexible coworking study spaces, launderettes, secure bike parking and a gym and fitness centre.
The scheme was conceived as a perimeter block, responding to the defined urban edges of the Titanic Quarter masterplan plot around a secure private landscape courtyard and is composed of a series of ‘architectural pieces’ with varying architectural character through material tone and articulation to read as a composition of buildings responding to the site and street contexts. Breaks in the massing at upper floor levels articulate this ‘urban assembly’ allowing glimpse views through to neighbouring buildings, as well as the historic H&W cranes.
At an urban street level, the scheme includes and offers new public realm spaces located on the east and the west of the plot, integrated into streets which form ‘view corridors’ retaining key vistas towards Titanic House, the listed former Harland and Wolff Headquarters Building and Drawing Office and to the Hamilton Graving Dock scheduled monument as identified in the Titanic Quarter Development Framework.
| Scale of development | Units: 1,007 student bedrooms Storey: 5-9 storeys Area: 35,850 sqm |
|---|---|
| Sector(s) | Residential - PBMSA |
| Location | Belfast |
