News
The Sixth – Belfast City Council’s first joint venture given green light
Turley has helped secure approval for The Sixth, a £75m redevelopment of the former Belfast Telegraph building.
We provided expert planning, strategic communications, heritage and economics services for the project which was approved on 19 February by Belfast City Council’s planning committee.
The mixed-use scheme at the bottom of Royal Avenue includes 230,000 square feet of creative workspace, alongside ‘active’ ground floor uses such as cafes, restaurants and retail and a roof-top running track. The plans were prepared by Bel Tel LLP, a first of its kind joint venture between McAleer & Rushe and Belfast City Council.
Speaking about the decision Michael McKenna, Senior Consultant, Strategic Communications said:
““We are delighted that Turley has applied our cross-service expertise to help obtain planning approval for such an exciting project. Our planning, strategic communications, heritage and economics services have combined with the wider team to deliver consent for a project that is Belfast City Council’s first joint venture of this nature. This is a significant decision which supports Belfast’s continued growth as a location for high quality workspace developments. We are particularly proud that this project restores and rejuvenates the Grade B1 Listed Seaver building, repurposing it as part of a wider creative district in the city. The site is located in a strategically important part of Belfast, which includes Ulster University’s new campus and a thriving creative sector. We look forward to The Sixth making a substantial contribution to this increasingly dynamic part of Belfast.”
On behalf of Bel Tel LLP Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive of Belfast City Council said:
“The aim of this joint venture is a strategic investment in the city, delivering workspace of a world class scale and quality for local or international occupiers seeking accommodation in the city core.
“Council has a particular focus on wellness and wellbeing within the Belfast Agenda, and the inclusion of a roof-top running track as part of this development, highlights the evolving nature and role of workspace in the city centre. By planning for the future, The Sixth will create real estate that better reflects how and where we work, whilst also bringing back into life a building of significance to our city and media’s commercial heritage.”
Also speaking on behalf of the joint venture, Stephen Surphlis, Property Director McAleer & Rushe, added to her comments:
“We are extremely pleased that councillors have supported our plans, and have supported the officer’s recommendation to approve our application. We look forward to progressing the development as quickly as funding is in place to deliver the project.
“As the first joint venture of its kind Bel Tel LLP assembled an experienced team to bring forward proposals that underlined a balance between the heritage of the listed building and the future regeneration of this part of the city. They have been informed by productive discussion and constructive feedback from Belfast City Council Planners, Historic Environment Division and other statutory consultees over the past 12 months.”
Designed by Stirling Prize-winning architectural practice Alford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), the Sixth will create accommodation for 2,000 high value jobs as part of an emerging creative district. In addition to AHMM the supporting project team includes Sort Design and commercial agents CBRE and Lisney.
A short video by the joint venture partnership is available to view here, this will be shown at property and development conference MIPIM in Cannes next month.
20 February 2019