Castlebrooke investments ammendments

Tribeca Belfast is a £500m urban regeneration scheme on a 12-acre site located beside St Anne’s Cathedral bounded by Royal Avenue, Donegall Street, Lower Garfield Street and Rosemary Street. Planning permission has already been granted for the first phase, with the outline covering the remaining two thirds of the site.

The public consultation process, which was launched at the end of June, invited feedback from city stakeholders, residents and the public through face to face meetings, an exhibition and architect-led walking tours, a project website, social media platforms and proactive engagement with the media.

Over 350 people visited the exhibition, with feedback overwhelmingly supporting the proposed changes from Castlebrooke’s original scheme. In the submitted plans Castlebrooke Investments has committed to bringing North Street Arcade back into use in a new format, with space designed to accommodate independent retailers.

The height of the Grade A office block on the corner of Rosemary Street and North Street, which was initially intended to be 27 storeys, has now been reduced to 10 storeys. There is also an increased allowance for green spaces, courtyards and residential space in line with the Belfast Agenda.

The new plans incorporate a greater degree of retention of non-listed building fabric which retains the best elements of the streetscape.

Jonathan Mitchell, Director of Castlebrooke Investments said: “We are delighted that the proposed amendments to our outline planning application for Tribeca Belfast have been met with such positive feedback. Over 80 percent of people agreed that the amendments are an improvement on the previous scheme, with the plans addressing many of the areas that stakeholders were worried about.

“Familiar themes which emerged from the feedback included the desire for more green space, the retention of as many of the historic building facades as possible, and space being made available for artisans and independent retailers. We have responded to these points and incorporated them into the revised scheme.”

Estelle Hunt, director of Castlebrooke Investments added: “During the consultation a number of concerns were raised and our development team is committed to continuing to listen to views during the planning application determination. Our aspiration is to create vibrant and usable public realm space which is truly open for the people of Belfast, to accommodate current and future uses, and also provides a greater degree of permeability from one part of the city to another.

“We would like to thank all of the city’s stakeholders who took the time to meet with us and members of the public who attended the exhibition and walking tours. We are now looking forward to working with Belfast City Council as we move through the planning process.”