Belfast City Council has moved forward with a partnership agreement involving the BBC and a new £100m Belfast Stories visitor attraction, rejecting a legal challenge from Sinn Féin. The party attempted to overturn the decision through a formal call-in process in July, but council legal advice found no procedural fault with the arrangement. According to BBC News, the facility is expected to open in 2030 and will serve as a public space, visitor attraction and creative hub combined.
Sinn Féin had raised questions about the "transparency, fairness and governance of the proposal" when the council initially approved the deal. The party challenged the decision using the call-in mechanism, which allows 15% of councillors to request legal examination of a decision on procedural or community impact grounds. However, the council's legal review concluded the decision had been properly considered. While Sinn Féin remains opposed to the council's financial partnership with the British state broadcaster, the party has not signalled any further attempt at this stage to prevent the deal from proceeding.
Michael Long, former Belfast Lord Mayor and member of the Alliance Party, expressed optimism about the project's future.
This is going to bring jobs to Belfast, this is going to help our creative industries, and it's really important that we get on with it,he said. A Sinn Féin spokesperson stated:
Sinn Féin does not agree that Belfast City Council should have a financial partnership with the British state broadcaster.
The Belfast Stories project is a 5,000-square-metre facility that forms part of the Belfast Region City Deal. The Department for the Economy has committed £65m in funding to the project, which underwent public consultation from 13 November 2025 to 5 February 2026 before entering the planning application process.
What is the BBC's role in the project?
The BBC intends to use the space as a studio but will not have exclusive rights to the facility. The broadcaster is expected to have access to the space for approximately 140 days per year for at least 10 years. The space will not be branded as a BBC studio, allowing other organisations to use it for exhibitions, film screenings and other cultural events. In March 2026, BBC Northern Ireland director Adam Smyth described the broadcaster's potential role as a
space within a space,emphasising that the BBC was not responsible for the visitor attraction itself.
A BBC spokesperson said:
We are pleased to be part of the new studio space at Belfast Stories. We think that it will facilitate future BBC productions and support our local screen industries more generally.The broadcaster declined to disclose the financial terms of the arrangement, stating:
We won't be commenting on the specifics of rental and other costs that will be associated with BBC productions from the Belfast Stories site.
Where will Belfast Stories be located?
The facility will occupy a former Bank of Ireland building and surrounding site close to CastleCourt shopping centre on Royal Avenue. The location is currently derelict, and the project aims to regenerate the area while supporting the growth of creative industries in the city centre. The complex will feature a large event space and use words, pictures and sounds to illustrate Belfast's past, present and future.
A city council spokesperson explained:
The original decision of the council to proceed with the enhanced studio space at Belfast Stories will now be implemented. It will be three things in one – a public space, visitor attraction and creative hub.
When will construction begin?
Although extensive preparatory work has already been carried out, construction is not expected to commence for another year. The council's published milestone plan lists planning permission, appointment of the contractor team, a decision on the operator model and full business case approval among the steps required during 2026. A council spokesperson said:
The project will need planning permission and approval of the full business case before construction can begin. Site preparation and survey works are ongoing, with plans to start construction by the end of 2027.
What are the expected benefits?
The council anticipates that Belfast Stories will attract more than 700,000 visitors annually and provide a significant boost to the city centre economy. The project is intended to help regenerate a currently derelict district while simultaneously supporting the expansion of creative industries. The council's community grants programme, which totals £250,000, includes ten small grants of up to £10,000 and five creative project grants of up to £30,000 to support local cultural initiatives.
What is the call-in process?
A call-in can be requested by 15% of councillors on a local authority if they believe a decision was not properly considered on procedural grounds or would disproportionately affect a section of the district on community impact grounds. When a call-in is triggered, the council can request that a lawyer examine the decision to determine whether it was made correctly. In this case, Sinn Féin's challenge was found to have no merit, allowing the council to proceed with its original decision.
What was the background to this decision?
Plans for the Belfast Stories project were first revealed in 2021. In July 2026, the BBC studio deal linked to the project faced opposition from Sinn Féin, with a council committee initially voting against the agreement before the full council reconsidered the proposal with the aim of enhancing local creative industries. The project represents a flagship initiative within the broader Belfast Region City Deal framework.
What happens next?
The council will now move forward with implementing the original decision to proceed with the enhanced studio space at Belfast Stories. The project must obtain planning permission and secure approval of the full business case before construction can commence. Site preparation and survey works are ongoing, with construction expected to begin by the end of 2027, positioning the facility for completion in 2030.
