Business owners on Donegall Street in Belfast city centre have criticised a safety barrier put up around a derelict building on the long-stalled Tribeca site, saying it is disrupting trade and damaging the area's appearance. The metal fencing, erected on 24 July 2026, has closed a stretch of footpath and reduced a section of the road to a single traffic lane. Stormont's Department for Infrastructure said the closure was ordered on safety grounds, while Belfast City Council said it was working with the building's owner to agree next steps.
The cordoned-off structure sits within the wider 12-acre Tribeca site next to St Anne's Cathedral, a scheme that has made little visible progress for roughly a decade despite repeated changes of plan. Castlebrooke Investments, which has held the site since 2016, was asked to comment on the current barrier but had not responded.
How has the barrier affected nearby businesses?
Deirdre Robb, chief executive of the Belfast Exposed art gallery facing the cordon, called the barrier an "absolute eyesore" and said no one had explained to her organisation how long it would remain in place.
"Absolutely nothing, so we're not clear about whether this is a temporary thing or it's going to go on, or whether they're going to take the building down - nothing has been communicated to us," she said.
Robb said the barrier had already cut available parking and made it harder for buses to pass along the street, adding to a wider sense among traders that the unfinished Tribeca project was eroding business confidence.
"It's the fact that there's no accountability. Developers shouldn't be allowed to just abandon buildings," she added.
"This could go on for another 10 years - that's my biggest fear."
Jack Mowbray, who owns the Bakarí bakery on Donegall Street, said the restricted access was likely to keep customers away from a stretch of the street that depends heavily on passers-by.
"The street is one-way at the moment - that will just make things quieter," he said.
"We rely a lot on passing trade, and people just being able to easily get there. If you make that tricky then they might not travel."
Mowbray said the cordon had also forced him to relocate a planned pavement café to a different street during the all-Ireland Fleadh, and argued the barrier was "causing everyone on the street to lose out".
A comparable dispute has emerged in Londonderry, where traders on Pump Street have warned that a prolonged closure linked to a damaged listed building has turned the area into a no-go zone, echoing concerns in Belfast about how long-running safety cordons can hollow out footfall for nearby shops.
Why has the Tribeca redevelopment stalled for so long?
Efforts to regenerate the land between the cathedral and Royal Avenue have dragged on for roughly two decades. A retail-focused scheme known as Royal Exchange was first put forward by a different developer in 2006 and won planning permission, only to collapse when the property market crashed.
Castlebrooke Investments took over the site in 2016 and secured planning permission in 2020 for an office-led scheme, a decision Belfast City Council approved only narrowly amid ongoing political disagreement over the project. The developer has since reworked its plans to prioritise housing, filing a pre-application notice covering around 1,000 homes and two hotels.
Belfast City Council had earlier objected to the Tribeca name itself as unsuitable for the city, reflecting a broader pattern of friction between the developer and local stakeholders over the site's direction. Castlebrooke launched a public consultation in June 2026 on a revised redevelopment blueprint intended to replace the original Tribeca scheme, proposing 1,000 homes, two hotels and refurbished historic buildings on the site.
Social Democratic and Labour Party councillor Carl Whyte called for "urgent action" over what he described as "significant disruption" caused by the derelict property and its safety barrier, saying "Belfast is once again paying the price for the Tribeca fiasco".
"The continued failure to redevelop these sites is not only holding Belfast back economically, it is actively damaging the city centre and the experience of those who live, work and visit here."
Green Party councillor Áine Groogan, who sits on the council's planning committee, said she was "concerned that almost a month on there has been no apparent progress on the site" and argued that "landowners need to step up and protect the built heritage in their ownership once and for all". She noted that because the building lies in a conservation area, it cannot be demolished without a separate demolition consent application, meaning the owner must either repair the structure or provide evidence that repair is not possible.
What have the council and Department for Infrastructure said?
Belfast City Council confirmed the cordon went up on 24 July 2026 and said it remained in contact with the owner about resolving the situation.
"We are aware of issues in relation to the building and are liaising with the owner to determine appropriate next steps," a spokesperson said.
"The owner has put the cordon in place to protect the public in the interim and council will continue to monitor the situation."
A Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said the council and its traffic management contractor had approached the department ahead of the all-Ireland Fleadh to flag the unsafe building on Donegall Street.
"They advised that a northbound one-way closure of Donegall Street was required to establish a safety exclusion zone around the building," the spokesperson said.
"In response to this request, and on safety grounds, the department approved a northbound one-way closure on their behalf with the diversion route for northbound traffic via North Street."
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons told the Stormont Assembly last year that he was examining options for a "deliverable alternative" to the stalled Tribeca project. Asked for an update, his department said it "continues to engage with Castlebrooke Investments and Belfast City Council on emerging proposals", adding that "discussions remain ongoing, with a focus on securing a viable and deliverable outcome".
What happens next?
Separately from the Donegall Street cordon, Castlebrooke has been promoting a co-living proposal for up to 150 homes on nearby Academy Street, with an in-person information event scheduled for 26 August 2026 at the Mac in Belfast. According to the same report, an online feedback form on that proposal will remain open from 26 August to 25 September 2026.
Castlebrooke has said the wider scheme could ultimately include around 1,000 homes, social and affordable housing, two four-star hotels and up to 100,000 sq ft of mixed-use space, according to the same industry report. A separate account of the revised plans states that the new layout would add a street, alleyways and public spaces linking the site into Belfast's existing city-centre street network, according to a national broadcaster's report, which also indicates Castlebrooke intends to submit a full planning application in autumn 2026 following its summer consultation events.
Key Facts
- The safety barrier on Donegall Street was erected on 24 July 2026 under a northbound one-way closure approved by the Department for Infrastructure.
- The derelict building forms part of the 12-acre Tribeca site beside St Anne's Cathedral, owned by Castlebrooke Investments since 2016.
- Castlebrooke's reworked plans for the wider site involve around 1,000 homes and two hotels, following an earlier 2020 permission for an office-led scheme.
- A separate Castlebrooke co-living proposal for up to 150 homes on Academy Street has a public information event set for 26 August 2026, with online feedback open until 25 September 2026.
- Local councillors Carl Whyte and Áine Groogan have both urged the site's owners and authorities to act to resolve the disruption and heritage concerns.
