Belfast Council opposes unpopular 'Tribeca Belfast' name for £500m regeneration project

Belfast City Council has agreed to oppose the unpopular name "Tribeca Belfast" for a £500m regeneration scheme set to take place in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter.

Remember at the end of November when Castlebrooke Investments revealed the name behind its world-leading £500 million regeneration scheme to be Tribeca Belfast? The comments online in response to the name mostly ranged from disappointed to angry, with many people saying that the name made very little sense and lacked cultural significance for the area.

Belfast Telegraph reports that that Belfast City Council has now agreed to officially oppose the name for the project. The name Tribeca is a shortening of "Triangle By the Cathedral," a nod to a New York area of the same name which was named for a similar reason. The area is currently referred to as the Cathedral Quarter and is one of the city's most historically significant locations.

Castlebrooke Investments is reluctant to change the name as it would send a poor message to investors, but the name of the project isn't the only thing on the line right now. A Save Cathedral Quarter group has emerged in opposition to the entire £500m regeneration scheme, with growing support from locals. The regeneration would involve demolishing 21 historic buildings in one of Belfast's most culturally significant areas, and retaining only part of two listed buildings in the area.