New 14-storey office block with roof terrace gets go-ahead
A new 14-floor Grade A office block next to the Belfast Transport Hub has won planning permission.
Ossian Holdings, the company behind One Grosvenor Gate on Grosvenor Road, said it will bring 100 jobs during construction and when complete, will have room for over 2,500 workers.
It’s the latest big developer to proceed with plans for new office buildings despite fears that the rise of home-working during the pandemic could lead to a fall in demand for offices from employers.
But due to its large floor areas, the 226,800 sq ft office will be able to accommodate more openplan space and collaborative areas. It will also contain rooftop terraces, cycling facilities and showers.
Belfast City Council’s planning committee approved Ossian Holdings’ plans on Tuesday night.
Ossian Holdings director Robert Jebb said it would be “a landmark city gateway building, strategically located next to the brand-new Belfast Transport Hub at Weavers Cross, with unrivalled transport links”.
The eight-hectare Belfast Transport Hub, next to the Europa Buscentre and Great Victoria Street Stations — a multi-million pound investment by the Department for Infrastructure — will be the main transport gateway to Belfast when complete. It’s due to be finished in 2025.
One Grosvenor Gate is a speculative build — one which has been undertaken by a developer despite no tenant lined up for it.
Mr Jebb said: “We believe One Grosvenor Gate will be an attractive prospect to any large office occupier with an office requirement.”
The developer claimed the building’s three stepped blocks will transform the site and contribute to the skyline of Belfast. It will also feature a public square next to the transport hub.
Peter Minnis, director of Todd Architects, said: “One Grosvenor Gate is a true city ‘gateway’, and with its distinctive, elegant, stepped form it will become an immediately identifiable landmark on Belfast’s skyline.
Stuart Draffin from Portbannis, the asset manager for the development, said the office represented the first major commercial opportunity emerging from public sector investment in the transport hub.
Meanwhile, the council’s planning committee has also approved the final phase of the Kings Hall Health and Wellbeing Park for south Belfast.