Shaping the future of Belfast’s waterfront

Belfast’s waterfront has long been a space of untapped potential - a place that could drive economic growth, improve city living, enhance sustainable transport, and create new opportunities for tourism and leisure.

Stretching from Sailortown to Ormeau Park, and taking in the Titanic Quarter wih its incredible heritage, the 10km waterfront has the capacity to become a stand-out international destination - one that benefits residents while showcasing Northern Ireland to visitors and investors alike.

To help realise this vision, a Waterfront Task Group has been established, bringing together expertise across disciplines. As part of this, Julian, was invited to join the newly formed Waterfront Design Panel alongside experts in architecture, urban design, planners, economic regeneration.

The Panel has already been busy - carrying out site visits, engaging with stakeholders, and reviewing strategies and masterplans to shape how projects along the waterfront evolve. In the long term, the collective goal is to see the waterfront designated as a Local Policy Area within Belfast’s Local Development Plan, and to facilitate designs of the highest quality. 

In the meantime, the Design Panel will play an essential role in influencing projects at their earliest stages, ensuring they align with the vision set out in the Waterfront Promenade Framework: a seamless, sustainable, accessible and vibrant waterfront for everyone in Belfast.

Julian says:

“We’re proud to contribute our expertise to help shape the future of such an important part of the city. This is a natural progression from the work we competed two years ago on the Waterfront promenade framework with design lead Schultze Grassov, and Hatch.”