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Making waves... city's new river quarter

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By Helen Carson
Friday Sep 28 2007

The £600m Sirocco Quays redevelopment in Belfast, which will include 2,000 apartments, will be launched today.

The ambitious, 16-acre waterfront scheme by award-winning developers The Carvill Group is to transform a rundown factory site into a "unique riverside community" in the east of the city.

The scheme will eventually include a hotel, childcare facilities, a care home for the elderly, a supermarket and doctors' surgery all on-site.

Christopher Carvill, managing director of the Carvill Group, said: "As one of the biggest developments of its kind, this exciting project will turn a former industrial corner of the city into a niche shopping and leisure venue, not to mention one of the UK's most vibrant investment opportunities."

The development is also set to create hundreds of new construction jobs during the 10-year build programme, as well as 2,300 permanent jobs on completion.

The Carvill Group has worked closely with the local community in a bid to ensure the success of the scheme.

The area had been a flashpoint for sectarian tensions between those from the Newtownards Road and the Short Strand, but the developers have held over 150 meetings with community representatives to address any concerns about the development.

There is also a move to provide training for local people with funding from the Prince's Trust to enable them to compete for jobs.

And with house prices in Northern Ireland at an all-time high, the Carvill Group has made a pledge on property prices.

Mr Carvill said: "Affordability is another crucial strand, so families which have grown up in the area can retain a sense of ownership and identify with this exciting new era."

He added: "Although it is not legislation, we plan to include a mixture of both social and affordable units."

And Sirocco Quays has impressive 'green' credentials, too, with waste management systems which will encourage recycling, the use of renewable technologies and a subsidised car club for residents.

"The car club we're planning means families who do not need to use a car can hire one, reducing the need for car ownership and reducing Sirocco Quays' carbon footprint," said Mr Carvill.

"It will be a place where residents walk, cycle or use public transport rather than cars and where they'll find reducing their environmental impact made easy for them," he added.

In addition, the development was planned around open spaces, one of which will be a public park within the city centre - second only in size to the grounds of the City Hall.

The historic Sirocco site is the last in the city centre with river frontage and completes the Laganside project - one of the most prestigious in Europe.

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