GIRDWOOD Community Hub and the Waterfront Hall were the big winners at the Royal Institution Of Chartered Surveyors annual awards.
The event, which celebrates the best and brightest in the land, property and construction sectors was held at the La Mon Hotel this week, with more than 30 of the north’s most impressive and community-beneficial property schemes battled it out for top honours.
Girdwood Community Hub in north Belfast was named RICS Project of the Year 2017, whilst the Belfast Waterfront won Commercial project of the year.
The highly acclaimed Project of the Year title is presented to the scheme which demonstrates overall outstanding best practice and an exemplary commitment to adding value to its local area.
Belfast City Council transformed the Girdwood site into a vibrant resource for all the community as part of an £11.7 million investment.
The remodelled 7,000 sq metres Waterfront Hall reopened last May following a £29.5 million investment by Belfast City Council (£11m), the European Regional Development Fund (£13.3m) and Tourism Northern Ireland (£5.2m).
Belfast Lord Mayor Alderman Brian Kingston noted the positive impact made by both projects.
"Girdwood is attracting people from all backgrounds to enjoy first-class leisure, community and education experiences in this state of the art shared space," he said
"And Belfast Waterfront winning Commercial project of the year also shows that it pays to aim high. The venue’s expansion is already reaping rewards for the city and firmly establishing Belfast as a world class conference destination. Both of these assets are contributing to our vision of a Belfast which is thriving, prosperous, vibrant, attractive and connected – and a city which will continue to attract investment, residents and visitors."
Both facilities will now go on, along with the other category winners, to compete against regional winners at the national RICS Awards Grand Final on November 2, 2017 in London.
