Belfast Waterfront Regeneration

Among Europe’s largest waterfronts, where the iconic RMS Titanic was designed and built.

10 kilometers of continuous waterfront promenade requiring enhancement

9 defined character areas, each offering distinct investment opportunities

Challenges

While offering significant development potential, complex economic and planning factors have hindered the long-planned development ambitions for vacant harbour land in central Belfast.
To unlock investment opportunities, Maritime Belfast established the Belfast Waterfront Task Group to determine the best way to advance development and capture the waterfront’s potential as a key nexus between tourism attractions, diverse neighbourhoods, and the city centre.
Maritime Belfast engaged Danish urbanists Schulze + Grassov and Civic Engineers, along with Hatch, to develop a strategic framework that enables investment, addresses local socio-economic challenges, and strengthens community connections to the waterfront.

Solutions

Identified strategic and highly localized investment opportunities within the harbour, leveraging dormant assets and existing attractions, as well as potential funding sources aligned with established government priorities.
Supported on-site workshops to engage local stakeholders, gathering key insights and building community support.
Collaborated with Schulze + Grassov to integrate socio-economic insights into a broader spatial vision, informing potential design, placemaking, and development interventions based on their capacity to catalyze investment and deliver social impact.

Highlights

Ambitious vision for one of Europe's largest waterfronts, promoting catalytic investment in the public realm and placemaking to drive private sector investment, enhance community wellbeing, and build climate resilience.
Collaboration with technical and design partners to develop tangible recommendations and design interventions with clear strategic merit and tangible funding pathways.
Leveraged our socio-economic analysis and visioning expertise to create a compelling case for change, aligning varied stakeholders to a shared vision and a shortlist of priority projects.
Details about the Belfast Waterfront project and framework summary document are available here (Waterfront Task Group - Maritime Belfast | Maritime Belfast)

Project numbers

10 kilometers of continuous waterfront promenade requiring enhancement
9 defined character areas, each offering distinct investment opportunities
40,000 residents and 125,000 workers within close walking distance