UK: A 132-key aparthotel on Belfast’s Bedford Street will bringing hundreds of jobs to the area according to the scheme’s architect.
The 13-storey scheme, called Bedford Yard, will be located at a red-brick terrace between Wetherspoon’s and Pizza Express. A four-storey former warehouse will be refurbished and a 132-room aparthotel will be built of lighter materials in the space behind it.
The revamp of the former linen warehouse – part of the city’s Linen Conservation Area – will include two ground floor restaurants, with Grade A offices above.
Todd Architects, which is working on the project for developer Andras House, said the scheme was expected to create hundreds of jobs. It was granted planning permission at a meeting of Belfast City Council’s planning committee last week.
Andrew Murray, a director at Todd Architects, said: “The success of this planning application is welcome news for the local hospitality sector and Belfast city centre as a whole. The scheme will breathe life back into the historic frontage on Bedford Street, blending the modern design of the aparthotel with the traditional features in the existing terrace. We believe Bedford Yard is the type of thoughtfully designed, high-quality, large-scale development desired by Belfast city, assisting growth and supporting other investment and the city’s’ ongoing regeneration, in a scheme that will provide vitality through its mixed-use nature.”
Rajesh Rana, director of Andras House, said: “I am confident that the office market will return within the development programme for this project. The offices we are developing are within the Victorian terrace at the front of the site, which are former industrial buildings, and there has been a real demand for this kind of unit from tech companies and I believe this will continue. Also smaller office suites, of the size we are promoting, will be attractive for firms that wish to downsize or who don’t want to commit to larger spaces.”
