BANGOR’S £50m revamp of Queen’s Parade has been hit by another delay, with developers now hoping to start construction this summer.
It means the start date of the long-delayed city centre overhaul has been put back by another few months, as the people behind the project had previously said they wanted to get under way early in 2024.
The latest hold-up results in a cumulative delay of almost a year, as developers Bangor Marine initially planned to start construction in either late summer or early autumn last year.
That was under old planning conditions that would have forced Bangor Marine to build each of the revamps four phases in order, only starting on the next after the previous phase was complete.
Towards the end of last year, the developers convinced planners to change that condition, and the first three phases can now be built in any order with a ‘mix and match’ approach that should speed up the construction process.
Speaking exclusively to the Spectator this week, Aran Blackbourne from Bangor Marine stated that there has been ‘steady progress behind the scenes’ on the £50m revamp.
“Our current programme [is] to start on-site in summer 2024,” he said.
“We are continuing to do everything possible on this project and, as with any major scheme, there are elements which are outside of our control. This makes it difficult to provide an exact start date at this stage.
“We are as keen as everyone to see activity on site, and we remain fully committed to this incredibly important project. We will provide a further update in February.”
The opening part of the project will be built on the current site of a large car park on Queen’s Parade plus the former home of Project 24’s art pods.
It will create a publicly accessible and attractive area boasting seafront lawns, a children’s play area and space to hold events.
Initially to be called Marine Gardens, sharing the name of a section of the seafront running between Queen’s Parade and Pickie, last week Ards and North Down Council voted to rename the entire area Queen Elizabeth II Marine Gardens once construction has finished.
Subsequent phases are set to happen on land between Queen’s Parade and King Street, which will host a hotel plus spa, office space, apartments, a cinema and a marketplace courtyard with space for local shops, cafes and restaurants.
