People are being offered the chance to quiz the developers behind a major project in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.
The public can log onto two online events to see the plans “presented in detail” as well as having “an opportunity to ask questions of the project team”.
The consultations, on June 1 and 3, regard a large scale development of 800 homes in the area. Developers behind the scheme, Lacuna Developments, Watkin Jones Group, Titanic Quarter Limited and Belfast Harbour, say they are to call it ‘The Loft Lines’ after specialist workers in the shipyard who drew life size plans of ships on the area that will become the highrise apartments complex.
They say the development “will comprise an integrated mix of around 800 new private rented, social and affordable apartment homes”.
The development, they say, will be “a fully managed site, meaning that residents’ rent will include their wi-fi, gym, and other extras such as a front-of-house concierge service.”
Proposed facilities are set to include “resident lounges, sports and recreational spaces, gyms, flexible working space, private dining spaces, games rooms, cinema rooms and children’s play areas”, developers say with a “range of housing sizes, from one, two, or three bed homes or studio apartments”.
The developers also say that what they call “high quality social and affordable apartment homes” will make up 20 per cent of the overall scheme.
The 3.8-acre site will feature a “wide public promenade incorporated into the Maritime Mile, a pedestrian boulevard, landscaped courtyard gardens, balconies and rooftop terraces” as well as the ‘South Yard Square’, which developers say is a 1-acre public area with a play area and a sports park.
Commercial space will be available for a coffee shop, restaurant and shops, “with discussions already taking place with a number of independent retailers and hospitality operators”. A creche is also planned for families who need access to childcare on site.
The Loft Lines will offer several ‘green travel measures’, including ground floor bike stores with wash down and repair facilities and “will aim to reduce the reliance on car-parking, with significant provision and promotion of other active travel measures”.
Anthony Best, director of Lacuna Developments, said: “The Loft Lines is a flagship project for Belfast that will build a new city centre community from the ground up. We are excited to share details of our proposals for The Loft Lines, which recognise the history of this site as a place of innovation and energy but at the same time offer a precise plan for a new way of living that will bring Titanic Quarter and the city of Belfast into a brighter, greener future.
“We want it to be a site that’s shared by those who live and visit, bringing back more of the life and vibrancy that the shipyards had and complementing the other development underway in Titanic Quarter. We look forward to engaging with more people through the community consultation and hearing their views on our plans.”
The ‘pre-application community consultation webinars’ will be held via Zoom at 6pm-7pm on June 1 and June 3. Details of how to register for these events can be found at www.theloftlines.com.
Members of the public will also be able to provide feedback or request more information via the project website, at contact@theloftlines.com or by phoning 0808 1688 296.
