Close to £20m of taxpayers’ money will be spent on revamping an area in a north Down town, it has emerged.
The Department for Communities is putting in more than £10m through property acquisition and maintenance linked to the development of the Queen’s Parade site in Bangor, Co Down.
Developers Bangor Marine has also secured UK government funding of £9.8m for Marine Gardens, which will include a new play park, two pavilions, kiosks with food and beverage offerings, an events space, and associated landscaping. Bangor Marine aims to have construction completed on this part of the project by July 2026.
Bangor Marine, now a joint venture between Karl Group and Oakland Holdings, is proposing to invest over £50m in the Queen’s Parade site. New homes, a hotel, offices, a market plaza, retail, cafes and restaurants are planned.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said on Tuesday work will commence on-site this month “following the signing of legal agreements with partners at Parliament Buildings”.
“After years of expectation, this scheme will be transformational for Bangor,” Mr Lyons said.
“When combined with the substantial £72.8m investment in Bangor’s Waterfront through the Belfast Region City Deal, this is the start of a bright future for the city. I look forward to seeing the positive impact these projects will have for years to come." The city deal is separate from this one linked to Queen’s Parade.
Ards and North Down Borough Council Mayor Alistair Cathcart said that this “is an important and positive milestone to recognise, and I would add my thanks to all those involved in the negotiations for their hard work and dedication to the process”.
“However, like many Bangor residents I will only be fully satisfied when there are ‘diggers on site’. The Bangor Marine contractors need some time to mobilise now that all agreements are in place, but I will be pushing for that work to start as soon as possible.
“Bangor has been waiting for this for a long time and deserves both the investment and the regenerative potential that it will release for the city. I hope residents and business will be reassured by the Minister’s update and engage positively with the scheme when work on site begins in the coming weeks.”
Aran Blackbourne, of Bangor Marine, said: “We are delighted that all the legal documents are now agreed and we can now confidently move forward with the Queen’s Parade redevelopment project with Oakland Holdings as our joint venture partner.”
