A £45m investment will see the construction of circa 210 new apartments on the current Fanum House site on Belfast’s Great Victoria Street.
Property development firm South Bank Square has proposed the development, which is to be known as ‘The Grattan’.
The company said that the project “promises to breathe new life into this area on the southern edge of the city centre, which was at one time referred to as ‘The Golden Mile’.”
As well as apartments, ‘The Grattan’ will see the construction of a ground floor commercial unit, residents’ lounge and social hub, business suites and fitness facilities, roof terraces and gardens, and public realm improvements to the front of the site.
During the construction phase, the expansion is expected to create up to 350 construction jobs and apprenticeships, with the aim of providing up to 40 full and part-time jobs post completion.
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The Pre-Application Community Consultation process for ‘The Grattan’ will begin in the early stages of 2021, with plans to be submitted to Belfast City Council soon after.
Martin Mallon, Development Manager at South Bank Square said: “We are conscious that Belfast City Council has prioritised city centre living as one of their key outcomes in the Belfast Agenda, with the aim of growing the population of the city by 66,000 new residents by 2035.
“We believe that ‘The Grattan’ offers a fantastic opportunity to help deliver this objective of a sustainable and well-connected residential community in the City Centre.”
“The build-to-rent sector has proven very popular in many other cities across the UK and Ireland, offering secure, long term lets within well designed and professionally managed modern apartment schemes.
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“The development represents a fantastic opportunity to regenerate this key site, and to help shape the future of the city.”
“This year has been extremely challenging for the vitality and viability of the city centre; therefore it is crucial that we start to drive momentum with key landmark projects such as ‘The Grattan’ in order to rejuvenate the city.”
“We will reveal further details about our planning consultation process in the coming weeks and we look forward to welcoming feedback from interested parties.”
Source: Written from press release
