Lands comprising the existing Fanum House site and adjacent lands, 104-110 Great Victoria Street, Belfast, BT2 7BE

DIGITAL PRE APPLICATION PUBLIC CONSULTATION EVENT Hello& Welcome INTRODUCTION Welcome to the virtual Pre-Application Community Consultation (PACC), this website forms part of the Community Consultation in respect of lands comprising the existing Fanum House site and adjacent lands, 104-110 Great Victoria Street, Belfast, proposed to be named ‘The Grattan’. The development proposal includes the demolition of the existing Fanum House (a 1960’s o ce tower), and the redevelopment of this underutilised brownfield site for a ‘Build to Rent’ apartment scheme, with commercial unit on ground floor. The site is situated within a prime location along Great Victoria Street, which is one of the key transport corridors on the approach to Belfast City Centre and includes a frequent bus route from South Belfast.

CONSULTATION DURING COVID 19 In light of the current situation under COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing measures, temporary pre-application community consultation regulations were introduced. These removed the requirement for a public event but encouraged and provided guidance for alternative consultation measures. We are using a number of online, digital, and remote tools to help you provide feedback on our proposals.

PURPOSE OF CONSULTATION AND NEXT STEPS The purpose of this webpage is to share our indicative proposals with the community and other interested parties, prior to the submission of a Full Planning Application to Belfast City Council in the first quarter of 2021. We are committed to engaging with members of the wider community and are now undertaking a period of pre-application community consultation (PACC) on our proposals. The feedback received will be shared with the design team and will help to shape our proposals prior to the submission of a planning application. We will prepare a Pre-Application Community Consultation Report which will provide a summary of all feedback, our response and how we have incorporated any appropriate feedback into the final proposals for the scheme. This report will be submitted as part of the Full Planning Application to Belfast City Council.

HOW TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND FIND OUT MORE

Visit our Website www.TheGrattanBelfast.com

This website is a one-stop-shop for all information on our proposals. You can browse our plans, view information documents, and complete an online feedback form.

Speak to Us

Our project team is available Monday-Friday 9am-5pm to discuss the proposals or respond to any queries you may have.

Contact: MCE Public Relations Limited Tel: 02890267099 Email: [email protected]

Download the Proposal Pack

You can download an electronic copy of the proposals pack on our website, all you have to do is click on the link within the homepage. If you have any issues downloading the pdf then please call MCE Public Relations on 028 9026 7099 or alternatively email [email protected].

Closing date for feedback – Tuesday 23rd February, 5pm South Bank Square Limited is a residential and commercial property development company that was formed in 2012. South Bank Square’s Associate Company, BSG Civil Engineering, is a large scale public utilities and civil engineering contractor who undertake a range of civil engineering contracts for various public bodies across Ireland.

Included below are a few local development projects delivered by South Bank Square Limited for both residential and commercial/leisure uses:

ETAP Hotel, Dublin Road, Belfast Parkhill, Ballyoan, Derry/Londonderry • 170 bedroom 3 star hotel • Mixed use development with circa 800 residential units together with • Pre-let Accor Hotels public open space, new equipped children’s play areas, associated retail, • Development built in 2012/2013 o ces, and childcare facilities, including upgrade works to the Gransha Road/A2 Clooney Road Roundabout.

• Up to 1,000 construction jobs are to be created through this scheme, thereby delivering huge added value to the North West region and local community in terms of jobs opportunities and regeneration. Strategic Context & Site Location The City of Belfast, which is the capital of Northern Ireland and the core of the Belfast Metropolitan Area, is the largest settlement in the Region. Belfast occupies a strategic location on the Eastern Corridor of Northern Ireland, located approx. 169 km from Dublin, and has a population of approximately 280,211 (Census 2011 data). The city boasts strong cross border transport links between Northern Ireland and the Republic. In addition, the area has good road and rail connections to other main settlements such as Lisburn, Bangor, Armagh, and Newry.

The application site comprises a rectangular plot of land measuring 0.2ha, which encompasses the existing derelict Fanum House site and adjacent lands, 104-110 Great Victoria Street, Belfast It is located approximately 650m to the Strategic Context south west of City Hall within the City Centre.

The site is bounded by Great Victoria Street to the west, Ventry Street to the south, o ce/retail units (Norwood House) to the north, and Filthy Mc Nasty’s Public House located to the east of the site. Situated on a prominent corner location on Great Victoria Street and Ventry Street, it is within walking distance to a wide range of amenities and services, such as Great Victoria Street Train/Bus Station, the new proposed Weavers Cross (Transport Hub), Donegall Pass and Queens University.

Local Context

Existing Site 'Build to Rent' The Belfast Agenda&

Build to Rent (BtR) is a subsector of the PRS market which represents a growing proportion of the housing market within the UK. The Build to Rent (BtR) Sector was one of the few positives to emerge from the wreckage of the 2008 financial crash and subsequent recession.

Since 2008, the BtR sector across the UK has grown by about 20%. As of Q1 2020, there are approximately 155,000 BtR homes in the UK planning pipeline and approximately 50,000 BtR homes have been completed. In the early years of the last decade (2010 – 2014) BtR was focused on London primarily and the capital accounts for about half of all completed BtR schemes to date. In more recent years, the BtR investors and operators have been more focused on areas outside of London. This has resulted in the exponential growth of BtR in cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh and Cardi to the extent that the development pipeline is now concentrated in areas outside of London. In the last couple of years, we have seen large BtR schemes starting in Glasgow and other smaller regional UK Cities such as Bristol.

The average size of the BtR schemes in Planning across the UK is 253 units (2018 – 157 units) and we expect that trend to continue due to the economies of scale that are sought by the operating companies. Build to Rent is a relatively new concept in Belfast with only a handful of schemes having obtained planning approval or currently going through that process.

The main aims identified by Belfast City Council within the Belfast City Centre Regeneration & Investment Strategy (BCCRIS) of 2015 and the Belfast Agenda (2017) were to significantly increase the Cities resident population by 66,000 up to 2035. BtR developments in this location would therefore help to achieve such aims and objectives, as set out within The Belfast Agenda Community Plan, by promoting/delivering inner city living and creating a vibrant, sustainable, and well connected environment for people to live and work. BtR is an important factor in retaining young talent in our cities, and attracting young talent to relocate to Belfast. BtR is not exclusively aimed at the young professional market however it is extremely popular amongst this particular demographic in other UK Cities.

The BtR sector presents a once in a generation opportunity for Belfast City Centre to be revitalised and regenerated through the construction of purpose built and expertly managed BtR developments. The BtR market is typified by well designed, super-e cient, and professionally managed blocks of apartments. This sector has attracted Institutional Investment into a number of UK Cities, and these International Investment Funds can also be encouraged to invest in Belfast if the right opportunities are presented to them.

We feel that this site presents one such opportunity in a strategic location close to a major transport hub, the city centre, the Universities, and the Hospitals. If we wish to retain our highly educated graduate population in Belfast City Centre then we must make a concerted eort to produce BtR developments such as ‘’The Grattan’’ for them to live in.

Academy Street, Belfast El Divino, Belfast • 16 storey residential building comprising 105 units • Residential development comprising 154 units (60 no. 1-bed, and 45 no. 2-bed) • Including ground floor retail unit, reception and management suite area, • Ancillary ground floor uses including management suit, café, internal and external communal space, open space and environmental servicing (refuse/recycling/cycle storage/general storage), roof terrace, improvements, car parking with access from Mays Meadow, bin storage, plant room, substation and associated public realm works. cycle parking plant equipment and storage. Area Plan Context

Within the Draft BMAP published in November 2004, the site is located within Belfast City Centre and designated as a Proposed Development Opportunity Site (CC061) – see Figure 1. ‘Development Opportunity Site Designations’ sought to promote the re-development of vacant or under-utilised sites. The site was also identified as being within the Shaftesbury Square Character Area (CC061) and core area of Parking Restraint. Following a Public Inquiry (which took place between April 2007 and May 2008), the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) published their reports in June 2012, and BMAP was subsequently adopted in September 2014. Within the final adopted version of the plan, the Development Opportunity Site designation (‘CC 061’) was removed and the site was left as ‘unzoned whiteland’.

Figure 1 - Draft BMAP (2004) City Centre Policy Map The version of BMAP adopted in September 2014 was subject to Legal Challenge and subsequently the adoption was quashed, with the Plan remitted back to the Department. As it currently stands, the Draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (dBMAP) 2015 is at an advanced stage given the publication of the PAC Inquiry report and consideration is given to the version of BMAP published September 2014 as it provides the most up to date position of the site designation. The Policy Map for the area (as shown at Figure 2) identifies the site as ‘white land’ located within the ‘Shaftesbury Square Character Area’ (CC 013).

Subject Site

Figure 2 - dBMAP (2015) Policy Map Extract Site Planning History

The site was subject to a number of historic applications associated with the site (Fanum House) dating back to the mid-1990’s. The only application considered of particular relevance is the extant approval for the erection of a 15 storey hotel (Planning Ref: Z/2011/1178/F), which was permitted in September 2012. The hotel approval for a 49.5m tall building included a bar, restaurant, conference room, gym and pool facilities.

CGI Image of Novotel proposal

Historical Context

A high level review was undertaken to ascertain the historical context of the development site. It was uncovered that the site at 104-110 Great Victoria Street, was home to ‘Grattan’s Aerated Water Manufactory’ built in the early 1880’s and designed by architects Young and Mackenzie.

Grattan and Co. was a Belfast firm of local chemists who manufactured soft drinks, and introduced the first carbonated “ginger ale”. The following quote and image was published in ‘The Irish Builder’ on 1st October 1883:

“The buildings illustrated have a frontage to Great Victoria street of 60 ft. and extend along Ventry-street over twice that distance, exclusive of the stables and van-shed still further to the rear. The main gateway gives access to the o ces and despatch-room, which are placed in the front.”

When developing the vision for this site it was important to acknowledge the site’s long history, and so ‘The Grattan’ branding was born.

Historical sketch of the ‘Grattan and Co.’ building (1883) ETAP Hotel, Dublin Road, Belfast • 170 bedroom 3 star hotel • Pre-let Accor Hotels • Development built in 2012/2013

Regenerating ‘The Golden Mile’

Great Victoria Street was once known as Belfast’s ‘Golden mile’, although over the years it has been progressively fragmented, with the Bruce Street Link Road now eectively cutting it in two. Whilst the building fabric and streetscape of the section closest to the city centre largely remains intact, the southern section has disintegrated over the years and has become perhaps the most neglected part of the city centre, having not seen any meaningful investment in over 30 years. This stretch of Great Victoria Street is now made up of a miscellaneous collection of gap sites, shut up shops, derelict properties, anonymous o ce buildings and an incongruous petrol station.

The architecturally “tired” and long vacated Fanum House, is perhaps the greatest symbol of degeneration along this portion of Great Victoria Street. A new development on the site, with a building of the scale, quality and presence proposed will therefore become a beacon of regeneration for Great Victoria Street, and a stimulus for further investment in the wider area.

Photographs showing the existing dereliction along Great Victoria Street Appropriateness for a Tall Building in this location

Since its construction in 1965, Fanum House has been in eect a landmark ‘announcement’ building to Belfast City Centre when arriving from the south. It remains to this day one of the most recognisable tall buildings within Belfast City Centre, and for many years was the City’s second tallest building. Whilst the existing Fanum House building may be lost to the city, the function of the Fanum House location as a recognisable landmark has not, with there being an extant permission (Z/2011/1178/F) for a 173no. bedroom Hotel (15 storey) on the site. As such, the principle of a tall building on this site is well established, including an increase in height from the existing Fanum House. The need to specifically reinvent/identify a key ‘gateway’ into the city from the south was highlighted within BMAP. Shaftesbury Square is identified within BMAP as a key gateway into the city centre from the south. Regeneration along this lower section of Great Victoria Street must take place to ensure that the area appropriately ties together with the Council’s vision for Shaftesbury Square. Given the fact that the principle of a tall building has already established on the site, we consider it to be an appropriate choice for contributing to the Shaftesbury Square Gateway. The proposal has been developed having consideration to ‘Draft Policy DES3: Tall Buildings’, set out within the Council’s Draft Plan Strategy. Whilst the policy is still in draft form, it identifies Council’s vision for the City and we consider that the development proposals seeks to address Council’s suggested guiding principles. Tall buildings with their density in occupants, require good transport links. Great Victoria Street is one of the key transport corridors within Belfast City Centre (Arterial Route), taking one way tra c, including a bus route, from South Belfast into the city centre. The site is centrally located and within walking distance to a wide range of amenities and services, such as Shopping District, Queens University, Great Victoria Street Train/Bus Station, and only 450m from the new Transport Hub at Weavers Cross.

Existing Context

Key:

Built Landmarks Consented Planning 28 - 30 Great - 11 Street Patrick Storeys 16 - Storeys Street Academy Cathedral Annes St Terminal Transport New Europa - 14 Storeys 14 GreatVictoria -Street Storeys 11 Hampton Hotel - 9 Storeys River HouseStoreys15 - Hall City Storeys 28 - Tower Obel - 14 Storeys Square Queens 35-41 Storeys - 15 Boat The Victoria Square Storeys 23 Central- Grand Storeys 12 - House Bedford Invest N.I.- 15 Storeys Storeys 17 - Square Bedford Storeys 15 - Street Victoria Little Holiday Inn - 9 Storeys Victoria Place- 12 Storeys Storeys 11 - Street Glenalpin Site Grattan The - Storeys 16 Hotel Hilton - 15 Storeys Tower BT -Storeys 10 Road Dublin - Storeys 10 Residential The Gallery - 10 Storeys Grattan Site New Transport Hub

CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION

GREAT VICTORIA ST STATION

BOTANIC RAIL STATION

16 Site Proposals

PROPOSED SITE LAYOUT This Full Planning Application submission for a Build-to-Rent development scheme on the site seeks to bring a derelict (lain vacant since 2011), not fit for purpose building back into a viable use. The proposal seeks to regenerate and breathe new life into this area of the city which has been severely neglected over the last decade. The proposal comprises of circa 210 no. ‘Build to Rent’ apartment units, resident’s lounge and social hub, business suites, fitness facilities, roof terraces and gardens with city views, including a commercial unit on the ground floor. In addition, the scheme will deliver public realm improvements to the front of the site. The subject site is centrally located and within walking distance to a wide range of amenities and services, including the new transport hub at Weavers Cross, making it a highly sustainable development for residents to live, work and play. It is considered that this scheme is a good example of ‘sustainable urban renaissance’, as promoted within the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP) 2015, which seeks to maximise the use of existing infrastructure, supporting more eective public transport options and a reduction in commuting.

Daytime Visual

Night-time Visual Site Proposals

PROPOSED AMENITY PROVISION At the heart of each build-to-rent development is, the Hub – a dynamic set of communal spaces. They are designed to provide areas of dierent scales, from intimate spaces for individuals, to larger flexible spaces where fully inclusive events can be organised for the residents. Openness is a key factor in how the spaces are planned, encouraging social interaction amongst residents. The pantry is the focal point of the Hub, where free tea and coee are provided 24/7. A gym will be situated at first floor level and will provide a well-balanced range of equipment, selected by an experienced gym operator. Residents will also have access to bookable private social spaces, allowing them to entertain in larger spaces.

In addition to the above, each resident will have access to all communal terraces, which can be used for exercise and break out spaces with fantastic views of the city.

Images for illustration purposes Community Economic& Benefits

The Grattan development proposals will deliver a number of community and economic benefits as outlined below:

• The proposal will help to address the widespread dereliction along this section of Great Victoria Street, and will act as a catalyst for further much needed investment along this once bustling ‘Golden Mile’; • A key ‘Landmark building’ announcing entry into Belfast City Centre from the south; • It will bring people back to live within the city centre, contributing to the Belfast Agenda’s target of 66,000 new residents by 2035; • State of the art 21st century ‘Build to Rent’ development aimed at encouraging people to live, work and play in Belfast City Centre; • Represents an investment of £45m, at a time when the city is suering so badly from the debilitating impact of Covid-19; • Will provide training and apprenticeship opportunities, employment for up to 350 construction workers, and up to 40 full time and part-time jobs post completion.

Images for Illustration purposes Have Your Say

Give Us a Call

If you would like a member of the team to discuss our proposals over the phone with you, you can call us on 02890267099

Write to Us

If you wish to make comments on the proposals, you can also do so in writing by sending a letter to:

MCE Public Relations Limited, 83/85 Victoria Street, Belfast, BT1 4PB.

Complete a Comment Card

Comment Cards, along with a self-addressed envelope, have been delivered to dwellings and businesses within the vicinity of the proposal site. These can be filled in and returned as directed.

Alternatively, electronic comment cards can be completed here: www.TheGrattanBelfast.com

Closing date for feedback – Tuesday 23rd February, 5pm