New Belfast Redevelopment Plans Replace Tribeca Proposal
The area adjacent to St Anne's Cathedral, with the cathedral's spire visible in the background of artistic impressions, is the focus of a new public consultation on a major redevelopment scheme in Belfast city centre. This new plan replaces the previously controversial Tribeca proposal.
The owners of the former Tribeca redevelopment site have introduced a new plan that emphasizes housing development.
Castlebrooke Investments has owned the extensive site next to St Anne's Cathedral since 2016 but has made limited progress in developing it. The area has increasingly fallen into disrepair, prompting calls for the site to be transferred to public ownership.
Castlebrooke has now submitted a pre-application planning notice proposing the construction of 1,000 new homes alongside two hotels. The Tribeca name has been discontinued in this new proposal.
An experienced property consultant, Gerry Hughes, has been appointed to lead the project.
"We recognise that Tribeca split opinion - this is not a commercial scheme in that you would want to brand it in a certain way," he said.
"It is a residential scheme that comprises two hotels and eight residential blocks.
"Each one of those blocks will be branded in their own way so we decided this time to focus on the historic fabric of the city."
Castlebrooke stated that the new plan would introduce a new street, alleyways, and public spaces to enhance connectivity within the city centre.
The redevelopment scheme includes five listed buildings, four of which are planned to be refurbished.
"The fifth is the North Street Arcade and that is clearly in a condition that means it is impossible to refurbish completely," Hughes explained.
"What we are doing with that is retaining the two entrance points and creating a new thoroughfare."
Hughes noted that the area had been "in a state of disrepair" prior to Castlebrooke's acquisition of the site.
"The disrepair is not the responsibility of Castlebrooke, it is there, but what we are trying to do is trying to fix that and we are determined to make that happen," he added.
Background on Stalled Tribeca Plans
Plans to redevelop the area between St Anne's Cathedral and Royal Avenue have seen little advancement over the past two decades.
Initially, a retail-led scheme known as the Royal Exchange was proposed by a different developer in 2006. Although it received planning permission, the project stalled due to the property market crash.
In 2016, Castlebrooke acquired the scheme from the Cerberus investment fund, which had control over the loans underpinning the properties.
Castlebrooke obtained planning permission for an office-led Tribeca scheme in 2020; however, the increasing prevalence of remote working rendered the plan less viable. The original proposals included office space, apartments, and some retail use.
Last year, Castlebrooke sold some of its properties to Belfast City Council. The council paid approximately £3 million for the historic Assembly Rooms and several adjacent properties.
Castlebrooke's new plan aims to create a new street, several alleyways, and public spaces to better integrate the neighbourhood into the wider city centre street network.
The proposal also envisions a "revitalised" Writers' Square, a public space located directly opposite St Anne's Cathedral.
The use of Writers' Square has been a source of disagreement between Castlebrooke and Stormont's Department for Communities, which owns the space.
Castlebrooke plans to hold an in-person public consultation event on 30 June and 1 July at the Masonic Hall on Rosemary Street. Following this, the company intends to submit a full planning application in the autumn.
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