The scheme, to be known as The Sixth, will have 230,000 sq ft of commercial space, with retail/restaurant use at street level and offices above. It has been designed by architectural practice Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM).
The site was bought by in late 2016 by Bel Tel LLP, which is jointly owned by Belfast City Council and McAleer & Rushe – and the city council’s first joint venture with a private developer. They have submitted a proposal of application notice (PAN) for the scheme.
A planning application for the scheme will be submitted following a 12-week pre-application community consultation, run by planning consultant Turley.
McAleer & Rushe property director Stephen Surphlis said: “These are important proposals that will bring a landmark building associated with the news industry back into use for a digital age. Adjacent to both the Ulster University Campus and Central Library, The Sixth will play an important role in the regeneration of Belfast by delivering high quality workspace for global and local businesses, particularly those in the professional, creative and technology sectors."
Built in 1886, the Belfast Telegraph building was home to the city’s newspaper for more than 100 years, before it moved to new premises in June 2016. The grade B2 listed building will be comprehensively refurbished as part of the redevelopment of the wider one-acre site. The project’s name is inspired by the newspaper’s original evening edition – the sixth of the day. The street vendors’ call of ‘Sixth late tele’ was familiar throughout Belfast for more than a century.
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