Business

City Quays 5: Belfast Harbour’s £59m office-led development set for approval

City Council and McAleer & Rushe also seeking renewal of £67m redevelopment of former Belfast Telegraph building

An artist’s impression of the City Quays 5 development, and (inset) the proposal rooftop bar/restaurant.
An artist’s impression of the City Quays 5 development, and (inset) the proposal rooftop bar/restaurant.
By Ryan McAleer

A £59 million office-led development in Belfast’s harbour estate is expected to be officially approved by the City Council this week.

City Quays 5 is the latest major scheme in Belfast Harbour’s development pipeline.

The proposal involves a building complex, ranging from five to ten storeys, on a site at Donegall Quay, next to Belfast Harbour’s multi-storey car park.

A largely office-led scheme, the plans include ground level retail and amenity space, while a new rooftop bar/restaurant also features.

Belfast City Council’s planning officials have recommended approving the major scheme, subject to a section 76 planning agreement.

Such agreements often involve developers committing to some form of public realm works or initiatives around the promotion of skills.

In this case, Belfast Harbour must commit to the construction and retention of City Quays Gardens as an open space.

Work is already under way on the public space.

An artist’s impression of the City Quays 5 development on Donegall Quay.
An artist’s impression of the City Quays 5 development on Donegall Quay.

Belfast City Council’s planning committee will formally consider the recommendation on Thursday.

The report prepared for the committee states that Belfast Harbour plan to invest around £59m in City Quays 5.

Harbour commissioners anticipate the scheme could be worth £44m in gross value added (GVA) terms for the economy over a five-year period.

Belfast Harbour says that City Quays 5 has the potential to support around 2,000 jobs per annum, and £129m GVA per annum for the economy, once fully utilised.

City Quays 5 is the latest stage in the trust-owned port’s wider £275m regeneration investment, that has produced three office-led schemes to date.

Planning permission was granted in January 2024 for City Quays 4, a 23-storey build-to-rent apartment scheme that will see 256 units developed between the M3 Lagan Bridge and the AC Marriott.

At 76.4 metres, City Quays 4 is set to become one of the tallest residential buildings on the island of Ireland.

Meanwhile, Belfast City Council’s planning committee will also consider an application to renew planning permission for a proposed £67m redevelopment of the former Belfast Telegraph building on Royal Avenue.

The council is a joint applicant in ‘The Sixth’ proposal alongside McAleer & Rushe.

Planning permission for the office-led development was originally granted in February 19 2019.

The proposal involves the demolition of non-listed buildings and the retention of the listed Seaver building, with a new six to eight storey office-led building.

Planning officials have recommended renewing permission.

That proposal will also be considered by the committee on Thursday.