Debate contribution: Tribeca, Belfast: Development

Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on 30 September 2025.

MLA

Mr Gordon Lyons

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

30 September 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Tribeca, Belfast: Development

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5143468

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Mr Brett for bringing the issue for an Adjournment debate, for his passion for his constituency and the city centre, and for outlining, clearly, what needs to be done. He mentioned the extension of late-night public transport services. I am happy to confirm to him and the House that I have committed funding to that. I know that other parties are being asked for that as well. He can be assured of my support and the support of my party to ensure that the funding is made available, so that we can continue to ensure that the city centre is supported. I look forward to making a further, more detailed announcement on that in the time ahead. The site, which I am scared to call the Tribeca site, because of the disapproval across the Chamber, is situated in the heart of our capital and represents a significant opportunity for economic, cultural and social regeneration. However, as Members around the Chamber and the wider community have rightly observed, progress has been disappointingly slow.

As Minister for Communities, with responsibility for regeneration and heritage, I must express my concern at the lack of meaningful advancement by the developer. The continued stagnation of the site is not just a missed opportunity; it actively contributes to the deterioration of a key part of the city. That blight is undermining the physical and socio-economic recovery of the city centre and, by extension, the wider city. The Tribeca scheme, led by Castlebrooke Investments, was originally heralded as a transformative £500 million regeneration project, spanning approximately 12 acres. Planning permission was granted in 2020 for a vibrant mixed-use development incorporating residential, office, retail, leisure and cultural spaces alongside the conservation and regeneration of listed buildings. However, despite early momentum and public anticipation, we are yet to see any meaningful construction activity on the ground. In recent months, Castlebrooke has withdrawn several planning applications for the wider site, citing concerns around commercial viability. That development, or lack thereof, has understandably led to growing frustration among key stakeholders, including Belfast City Council, local businesses and residents. The site remains largely derelict, and its current condition contributes to a growing sense of stagnation in the city centre. Belfast City Council has publicly voiced its concerns and is actively exploring a range of options, including vesting or acquisition by agreement, either in whole or in part. The Assembly Rooms and adjoining properties, for example, have been a focus for such intervention. Therefore, I have instructed officials in my Department to engage constructively with the council to help to identify and deliver a viable plan for the regeneration of the Tribeca area. However, let me be clear that it is a complex issue and will require time, resources and input from a wide range of professional disciplines and stakeholders in order to develop a fully costed and deliverable alternative. Belfast City Council is preparing a paper for submission to my Department, seeking support for what is envisaged to be a regeneration and planning framework for the Tribeca site. That framework will aim to provide the basis for statutory intervention, be that through purchase or the vesting of lands in part or in full. It will set out clear steps for the delivery of a viable regeneration scheme. Crucially, the framework must also address the financial realities of any proposed intervention. It must present viable delivery routes, whether led by the public sector, the private sector or a combination of both. Let me be clear: the status quo is not acceptable. I fully share the concerns that have been expressed by Members and the public. The current impasse cannot be allowed to persist. We are committed to working in partnership with all stakeholders to unlock the potential of this strategically important site. We are also open to exploring innovative and practical solutions. One such avenue is the potential use of financial transactions capital to support partial public ownership or partnership models. The precedent that was set by the Laganside Corporation offers a valuable reference point for how targeted public intervention can act as a catalyst for urban renewal and bring together public ambition and private enterprise to deliver real change. In the coming weeks, my Department will continue its dialogue with Belfast City Council on the proposed regeneration and planning framework. We will also continue our engagement with Castlebrooke Investments to seek clarity on its intentions and timelines for the site. Importantly, as we move forward, we will work to ensure that any future development reflects the unique character and heritage of the Cathedral Quarter and surrounding areas. It is essential that regeneration delivers not only physical transformation but real and lasting benefits for the city and its communities.

I will address that in my closing remarks. North Belfast deserves better. The Tribeca site must not remain a symbol of missed opportunity and stalled ambition. My Department is firmly committed to playing its part in delivering a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable city centre that reflects the pride, potential and resilience of the city.

I have listened to Members' comments and heard the passion with which many expressed them tonight. With that in mind, I can confirm that some meetings have taken place in the past number of days. It is now my intention to bring together all interested parties and make sure that we can sit down in the same room and find a way forward. I want those parties to include political representatives, Belfast City Council, other Ministers and the developers. It is important that we all get together so that the matter can be thrashed out. I do not pretend that it is exclusively my responsibility, but I am prepared to step up and make sure that the meeting happens. I am willing to stand up now, just as I have done in the past. I did so with the issue of defective premises when no one else was willing to take it on. I am willing to get everybody in the room so that we can find a way forward. I will do that as quickly as I can, because I know that people have been waiting for far too long. At the very least, we need to get together to plot a way forward. That is my commitment to the House this afternoon.

1,063 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:17 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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