From our work in the property, housing and infrastructure sectors, it’s clear that people care deeply about the future development of the places they live.
Decisions on where new buildings are built, what they are used for, and how to get to them all have major implications for the quality of life, economic opportunity and environmental future.
The UN estimates that over half of the world’s population lives in cities and urban areas, a figure expected to increase to nearly 70% by 2050. That number is already much higher when you bring large towns into the equation.
Walking from the city towards Queen’s University last week, I passed a series of major developments under construction, including One Bankmore Square, Weavers Hall student accommodation and the iREACH R&D centre. The massive cranes towering over these sites act as a clear signal that the shape of the city is continuing to evolve.
Passing these projects made me reflect on how much Belfast has changed since we helped our client Deloitte launch their first Regional Crane Survey for Belfast ten years ago. Back then, the city was in the middle of a small boom in new hotels and Grade-A office buildings to meet growing demand in those sectors, neither of which had seen much investment over the previous decade.
In the intervening years we’ve seen the Grand Central Station completed; several new offices and an urban garden in Belfast Harbour’s City Quays; The Ewart office complex and Grand Central Hotel changing the skyline on Bedford Street; Ulster University opening their York Street campus, sparking a raft of new purpose-built student accommodation across the city; as well as a new students union at Queen’s University and Loft Lines, the first residential development of scale in the city centre.
Since 2016, the pandemic has changed how we use our city and influenced the sorts of schemes being built. For example, three of the five schemes that broke ground last year are in the education and R&D space. But there’s also recognition that a lot more investment still needs to happen for Belfast to take the next step as a vibrant and attractive city to visit, live and work in.
Anyone who keeps an eye on development knows Belfast City Council’s Local Development Plan identified a need for 8,000 new residential units within the city centre by 2035 – a big ask when you consider only 500 new homes have been built in the city centre since 2016.
We’re all aware that the need for wastewater infrastructure investment is one of the main barriers to new homes being built. But if Loft Lines succeeds, then Deloitte said it could realistically kickstart more residential activity in the next few years.
Selling Belfast city centre as a place to live will be a new challenge for those who want to see it happen. It’s a job that will need a new narrative that hasn’t ever been part of Belfast’s story before. What type of people will inhabit new neighbourhoods? Why would they want to live here? What’s the lifestyle they will be getting? Getting the messaging right will be essential to attracting Belfast’s first generation of city centre residents. You can reach out to our team here.
by Symon Ross