Bangor’s £50m seafront ‘will be a world class destination’

Consultation events will provide information on the proposal and provide an opportunity for members of the public, interest groups and business interests to share their views on the proposal, which backers believe will play a vital role in the future economic success of the town.

The plans, from Bangor Marine Ltd, are a joint venture between Karl Group and Farrans and will focus on transforming the historic Queen’s Parade area, aiming to make Bangor a “world-class destination”.

The goal is to better connect the seafront and marina with the town centre and create a “visitor destination”.

Backers wish to connect Queen’s Parade with the seafront by redeveloping the Marine Gardens car park into an attractive public realm area, with an external events space, cafes, a sheltered promenade as well as kiosks, the beach, seafront lawns, a children’s play area and a water feature.

The consultation begins with two events on 18 and 19 June at the Project 24 Hub on Bangor’s seafront, both of which are open to the public.

The drop-in events will display detailed proposals and images of how the area will look and representatives from Bangor Marine Ltd and the project team will be on hand to take questions. Further events are also planned on 1 and 2 August.

Aran Blackbourne from Bangor Marine Ltd said: “We are delighted to be at this stage in this highly exciting project which is set to completely transform, regenerate and restore the vibrancy of Bangor’s waterfront.

“During this consultation process we welcome feedback from the public on our plans and look forward to engaging with the people who live, work and visit Bangor.

“This project offers an excellent mix of public space, retail, office, leisure and living space which will attract locals and tourists to the area and bring further investment into Ards and North Down area.”

A planning application is to be submitted later in 2019.