Business

Plans revealed for Grade A office space on Donegall Place

PLANS: An artist's impression of the Grade A office space on Donegall Street
PLANS: An artist's impression of the Grade A office space on Donegall Street PLANS: An artist's impression of the Grade A office space on Donegall Street

PLANS to redevelop one of Belfast’s most iconic and prominent buildings have been revealed, promising much needed Grade A office space to the city.

The building at 35-47 Donegall Place currently houses a Boots store on its ground floor and covers a combined area of more than 100,000 sq ft of office and retail space. The cost of the development is understood to be in the region of £15 million.

The building was purchased last year by a consortium of property and finance firms including Bywater Properties, LRE Capital and Belfast-based Ashmour Developments and the new look building is designed by Coleraine architects GM Design Associates.

The plans reveal a modern façade looking into an open-plan, atrium style lobby. It is also complemented by roof terraces overlooking the city.

Belfast has suffered in recent years due to a chronic lack of high-spec, Grade A office space, the likes of which London can supply to international companies looking to plant their feet in UK cities.

Recently however, local developments of this kind have been on the rise as companies try to capitalise on the shortage of premier space.

Belfast Harbour’s City Quays is currently in phase two of its plan to provide two, multi-million pound office blocks to the area, the first of which is successfully completed and occupied at the Clarendon dock location.

Paddy Kearney’s Kilmona Holdings has also gotten the green light for a £50m office project on East Bridge Street.

LRE’s investment director James Armstrong said the opportunity to fill the office space void was clear.

“Belfast is an ambitious, forward-thinking and business-friendly city filled with companies and organisations which not only require but desperately need the type of high-specification Grade A office accommodation currently available in other cities across the UK and Ireland,” he said.

“Our plans for this prime city centre building represent an exciting opportunity for us and for Belfast and we look forward to delivering a development scheme which will set a brand new benchmark and rival the very best that other global cities have to offer.”

Patrick O’Gorman, head of Bywater Properties, said the project will open up the location to new opportunies, both for the company and for Belfast.

“Long term, we have no doubt that this exciting addition will help to bolster Belfast’s growth and provide opportunities for new and existing businesses to thrive,” he said.

“With our partners, we plan to make a significant investment in the building and, ultimately, a massive contribution to Belfast’s commercial and retail success.”

Once completed, the building will offer a capacity capable of serving 700 office and retail workers on its six floors and will be sure to attract some high-market clients to fill the space.