‘One Bankmore Square’ in Belfast is expected to house 3,000 workers if approved.

PLANS ARE UNDER way to develop a 12-storey block in Belfast that could hold as many as 3,000 workers and would be Northern Ireland’s largest office building.

The Richland Group, a London-based property firm, has submitted a planning application to Belfast City Council to develop a major new office scheme at the Movie House cinema site in the city centre.

Savills and Lambert Smith Hampton are acting as joint agents for the building.

If it is approved and development proceeds as planned, ‘One Bankmore Square’ will be the largest single office building in Northern Ireland.

The Richland Group said each floor of the project will comprise 25,000 sq ft of useable grade-A space.

It said that the proposal also includes the redevelopment of Bankmore Square into a “public open space with potential for an outdoor cinema and public art exhibitions”.

Source: Savills

Construction

It is estimated that it will cost £65 million (€74 million) to develop both the office block and Bankmore Square and that 570 construction staff will work on the project.

The project is near the location of the proposed Belfast Transport Hub, a huge development that would accommodate cross-border train and coach services to the Republic of Ireland and express bus services to Northern Irish airports.

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Source: Savills

It is estimated that the construction phase of the project will take two years and will be completed in 2020 if the plans are approved.

Dougie Wheeler from Lambert Smith Hampton said that there is high demand for good-quality office accommodation in Belfast.

“However, there continues to be a shortage of grade-A offices in the city centre, especially for the larger occupiers with requirements for 25,000 sq ft and above,” he said.

“The development team behind One Bankmore Square are extremely confident that this will be the best building in Belfast to meet that demand.

“In order not to delay delivery, we are preparing to go on site and speculatively develop the building, subject to the granting of planning permission.”