Plan for £400m regeneration of Sirocco Quays
The owners of Sirocco Quays have unveiled plans to create city centre offices, homes and leisure facilities in a new ‘river-front district’ scheme worth more than £400m.
The former industrial site, now derelict brownfield, was once the site of the world’s largest rope works, set up by Samuel Davidson in 1881.
The proposed regeneration of the 16 acres could become one of the largest mixed use redevelopments in Belfast, creating 5,300 jobs. The owners of the site Swinford (Sirocco) Ltd‘s say they want to transform the former engineering works into a modern, social, place to work and live.
Swinford's ambition for the prominent city centre location will comprise 69,000 square metres of contemporary office space, 815 new homes and leisure services including a hotel, restaurants, cafes and local retail space. They also want to create a new pedestrian footbridge to provide access from the Waterfront Hall.
Philip Silk, Director of Swinford (Sirocco) Ltd, explained their plans:
“Sirocco Quays will establish new benchmarks for quality across the office and residential space, and bring the first truly international branded hotel to Belfast. We are creating new construction jobs, and will build modern workspace for approximately 11.5% of the 46,000 new jobs Belfast City Council is seeking to create by 2035. We are part of Belfast Agenda and want to contribute to the life, economy and community of the city.”
Designed by international architects Broadway Malyan the scheme is estimated to be completed by 2035. He continued:
“Our plans for 815 new homes are the largest residential development in the city centre. It will include a mix of private, rental, social and affordable accommodation. The new neighbourhood at Sirocco will deliver high-quality riverside living for a population of 1,600 residents, and boast new amenities including bars, restaurants and retail, all in an inspiring and exciting new environment.
“We have recognised the unmatched opportunity to extend and complement the traditional centre of Belfast, and bring the opposite bank of the River Lagan back into the life of the city. This is a site of significant importance to the continuing regeneration of both the city centre and East Belfast, and to the continued growth of Northern Ireland’s economy.”
Swinford Ltd will now undertake a minimum 12 weeks of pre-application community consultation, including three public exhibitions, before submitting a planning application to Belfast City Council.