Transformation planned for Cathedral Gardens

An urban forest, a large multi-use events space and a permanent memorial to the Belfast Blitz are among the features included in ambitious plans unveiled for the multimillion-pound redevelopment of Cathedral Gardens.Belfast City Council aims to transform the area between St Anne’s Cathedral and Ulster University’s Belfast campus into a “world class public space”.Building upon the historic Cathedral area, other proposed features in the redevelopment include garden ‘rooms’ located under the canopies of the mature trees in the urban forest, public art, interactive audio-visual water and lighting features, outdoor dining areas and a range of play features for young children.The council hopes that the proposed tree-lined events space will in time host numerous small and large-scale events ranging from the annual Culture Night, music concerts, children’s festivals, food markets, flower and fashion shows and much more besides, helping to support and boost the city’s annual cultural programme.The proposals will now be the subject of a consultation exercise before the final designs are completed for the space.