THE £19 million Portland 88 development on Belfast’s Ormeau Road, dubbed Northern Ireland’s ‘smartest’ homes, harnessing cutting-edge technology, has been completed, with more than half the properties sold prior to launch.
The scheme by Bristol-based Barnett Developments features 88 turnkey apartments kitted out with the latest smart home intelligence system and one of the first car lifts in Ireland, worth an estimated £100,000.
The award-winning apartments will allow the owner to control heating, lighting and other appliances, all from a smartphone, from anywhere in the world, and are estimated to save the owner hundreds of hours, simplifying and streamlining their lives.
They also come with their own BringMe smart mail and package deliver box, Amazon Echo and Alexa virtual personal assistant.
The 88 apartments, located over seven storeys, consist of 10 one-bedroom apartments, 74 two-bedroom apartments and four three-bedroom luxury apartments.
All properties include high-spec luxury fittings, with 51 on-site car parking spaces, complete with car lift which is capable of bringing cars to the second floor of the car park.
Nick Barnett, chief executive of Barnett Developments and keen Circuit of Ireland rally driver, said: “We're delighted to have hit this major milestone in the Portland 88 journey.
“We've been overwhelmed by the interest in the development prior to launch, which is a huge show of a return in confidence and demand in the city centre residential market.
“These apartments represent the future of home ownership in Northern Ireland and will help to contribute to the overall economy of the city.”
Building commenced two years ago, and the scheme has created hundreds of jobs, with work carried out by Graham Construction, the design by Gregory Architects, and the sellers being Colliers and Simon Brien Residential in Belfast.
Nick added: “To-date our purchasers have been a mix of young professionals, couples who work in the city, and people relocating to Belfast for work, all with one common interest - to live in a prime location, with the absolute latest in all modern living facilities from smart technology to appliances.”
Meanwhile financial services compliance firm fscom has relocated to state-of-the-art offices on the top floor of Longbridge House Belfast's Cathedral Quarter.
The boutique consultancy has grown its team from two to 25 over the past seven years and has offices in Belfast, London and Dublin.
Established in 2011, fscom specialises in providing compliance solutions to the fintech sector specifically those in payments, e-money, crypto and challenger banks.
It says its expansion has been partly driven by growth in its work for fintech businesses and challenger banks and from work related to the relocation of financial services businesses from London to Dublin as result of Brexit.
