The green light has been given for a new multi-million pound development at the former Sirocco Works factory site in Belfast.
Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee approved proposals for the £50 million first phase of the landmark Belfast Waterside development, which will feature over 28,000 square metres of office space, bringing the first major employment activity at the former Howden Sirocco site in almost 20 years.
The site, owned by Vanguard Real Estate, could accommodate up to 2,500 employees in a 13 storey office building, which will include a retail unit on the ground floor alongside café and restaurant units. The £400 million development, which is designed by award-winning Danish architects and master-planners Henning Larsen, is part of Belfast City Council's plan to create 46,000 new jobs by 2035 as part of the 'Belfast Agenda'.
Alongside the building, the Belfast Waterside site will also feature landscaping and public realm works, a "pocket park", and pedestrian and cycle access
The Planning Committee also approved the £20m 11-storey Graham House development on Albert Square in the city centre.
Sinn Féin Councillor Matt Garrett, Chairman of Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee, said: "The Belfast Waterside development will benefit both office workers and city residents, and act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the wider Sirocco site. The approach to the building’s design and landscaping has taken its cues from the Giant’s Causeway, and it’s exactly the type of high quality environment that we’re encouraging local and global investors to develop in Belfast, as we work to deliver our Belfast Agenda commitments, and to secure a Belfast Region City Deal with Westminster.”
