Green light for major regeneration scheme

A job-creating regeneration scheme in the northern part of Belfast city centre has been granted planning permission from the city council, with construction on site earmarked for 2020.Bywater Properties and Ashmour intend to redevelop a surface level car park bounded by Winetavern Street, Gresham Street and North Street.Alongside the refurbishment of the existing listed ‘Butchers’ building, three new structures are envisaged, ranging in height from three to nine storeys. The four buildings, yet to be individually named and branded, will be connected by ‘a yard’, an active ‘break out space’, which will bring diverse users together and the Smithfield area to life.Offices are at the heart of the 260,000 sq ft proposal, with basement level car parking, new public realm, groundfloor retail/restaurants and SME workspaces also included on the 1.25-acre site.A report published ahead of a Belfast City Council meeting earlier this week said the mix of office, retail and workshops will add to the diversity of the city centre while bringing “much needed regeneration” to the area.Belfast City Council’s planning committee has approved the project subject to a final consideration by the Department fonr Infrastructure.Central to the project is encouraging small independent businesses, retailers and makers to reinvigorate the once thriving Smithfield streetscape.Before submitting plans for the scheme, Bywater Properties held a community consultation with more than 200 local people giving their views at a series of drop in sessions, including local entrepreneurs, creatives and social enterprise advocates.The consultation, under the working title “Building Blocks”, helped Bywater Properties understand the type of businesses that local people believe should be in the available spaces, and what a viable and fair rent for these businesses should be.Construction onsite is expected to begin in 2020.Up to 650 construction jobs will be created in the build phase of the project and once completed the proposed office accommodation will have space for up to 1,500 workers.TSA Planning is acting on behalf of Bywater Properties and Ashmour on the multimillion-pound proposal.