Further Delays to Queens Parade Development as Legal Issues Stall Progress

Hopes of construction finally beginning on the long-awaited Queens Parade and Marine Gardens development have been set back once again, with legal processes delaying work on-site.

In a statement issued today, Bangor Marine, the developer behind the project, a partnership between Karl and Farrans, confirmed that outstanding legal agreements must be finalised before construction can commence. Despite previous expectations that work would begin in January, these processes have proven more complex than anticipated, meaning a further delay is now unavoidable.

Aran Blackbourne of Bangor Marine said:

"Bangor Marine, Ards and North Down Borough Council and the Department for Communities continue to work hard to progress a number of outstanding legal agreements in relation to the development of Marine Gardens. We had been hopeful of a start on site in January. Unfortunately, these processes have taken longer than anticipated due to their complexity, and we cannot begin work on site until all agreements are completed and in place.

"We understand that each delay is frustrating to the city. We remain committed to the scheme and to providing regular updates on the progress of Marine Gardens. We will issue another statement at the end of January to keep the local community informed of the project status at that point.”

The delay will come as yet another disappointment for many in Bangor, where frustration over the slow progress of the flagship regeneration project continues to grow. While the commitment to providing regular updates is welcomed, the community’s patience is wearing thin, and pressure is mounting for real, visible progress.

With legal matters still unresolved, the focus will now shift to the end of January, when Bangor Marine is expected to provide a further update. Residents and businesses will be watching closely to see whether this next milestone brings meaningful action, or yet another setback.

BANGOR MARINE PRESS RELEASE -11th NOVEMBER 2024

JANUARY 2025 CONFIRMED AS THE START DATE FOR QUEENS PARADE/MARINE GARDENS

Developer Bangor Marine, working alongside Ards and North Down Borough Council and the Department for Communities, has said that work on site on the major public realm project at Marine Gardens is now intended to commence in January 2025.

Marine Gardens, part of the Queen’s Parade regeneration project, covers 5.25 acres and will include a new play park, two pavilions, kiosks with food and beverage offerings, an events space, and associated landscaping. To be constructed over the course of a year, Marine Gardens will provide an inviting new energy and vibrancy to the city’s waterfront destination from 2026 and beyond.

Following submissions by Bangor Marine, the remaining planning matters to facilitate the start of work on site were approved by the Council at its Planning Committee meeting of Tuesday 5 November. The various required legal agreements are due to be in place by the end of November.

Aran Blackbourne of Bangor Marine, a partnership between Karl and Farrans, said:

“The commitment shown to this project by all government departments and the Council has been excellent. There has been great teamwork, and everyone has played their part. We were all disappointed to not get started in October, but the legal and planning documents need to be in place. Pulling this all together is extremely challenging with so many different parties involved.

“In the last two months, we have completed and submitted for approval the detailed designs for Marine Gardens, the pavilions, kiosks and shelters, and we have achieved discharge on all 11 planning conditions. Following this week’s meeting we have secured the approval of our amended drainage solution and alterations to phasing. We anticipate discharge of final landscaping conditions alongside resolution of legal matters later this month. We have tendered all the main work packages, are working to reach the final agreement with The Crown Estates and have completed exploratory works on the quayside. These are all complex and technical matters that require a heavy investment of time.

“With another critical meeting of the Council due to take place in late November, we planned to move our scheduled start forward by a month. However, as we approach December, we are mindful of the desire of retailers in the city centre to have access to the car park during the busy Christmas period. Therefore, it is practical and sensible to look at a commencement date in early January.”

Mayor of Ards and North Down Borough Council said: “I know that people in Bangor just want to see work start on the Queen’s Parade redevelopment and that this, albeit short delay, will be met with frustration. I would assure residents that while not visible to the public, a huge amount of work to progress the scheme has been delivered by partners in recent months and momentum is high. January is always a reset period and a good time for a new start. I will be following progress carefully to ensure that all efforts are made for this project to be on site as early in January as possible.”

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA said: “Projects of this nature are extremely complex, given the number of stakeholders and work streams, and it is a credit to my Regional Development Office team, Ards and North Down Borough Council, and the developer, Bangor Marine that we have all worked collaboratively to reach this substantial milestone. This is a fantastic achievement and one of the final steps towards commencement of construction. After many years of hope and expectation, this project will be genuinely transformational for the people of Bangor and the future City Centre economy. I look forward to seeing this work start in the new year.”

Marine Gardens, which forms part of the Queen’s Parade regeneration project, secured UK ‘Local Government Funding’ (previously known as Levelling Up Funding) with Bangor Marine providing private funding of £2m for this public realm element. When the entire project has completed, the Queen’s Parade development will include new homes, a hotel, offices, a market plaza, local retail, cafes and restaurants.

• In advance of work beginning, Farrans' stakeholder and social value team will be present in the area speaking to local businesses, residents, retailers, and government representatives to ensure all are kept appraised of scheduled activity

Preparing the Way

February 2024

Work has begun to clear vegetation from the Queens Parade car park site in preparation for the construction of the new Marine Gardens, set to commence in July.
The Marine Gardens project marks the initial phase of the extensive Queens Parade development.
This development will include a new hotel, 137 apartments, and a variety of retail, office, and leisure spaces.

Queen Parade Development

January 2024

https://www.facebook.com/bangorbythesea

Through this page and our affiliated Facebook page www.facebook.com/bangorbythesea, we are dedicated to keeping the communication open between the residents of Bangor and the development partners involved in the Queens Parade project. This partnership includes the Ards and North Down Borough Council, the Department for Communities, Bangor Marine Ltd, and various private sector partners and agencies. We aim to ensure you are kept up-to-date with the latest progress.

In October 2022, Bangor Marine Ltd achieved a milestone by receiving planning consent for the project. This consent comes with more than 50 conditions that need to be resolved before construction can begin.
We are pleased to report that these conditions are being systematically addressed, although several are still in the process of being finalised. These include important aspects like archaeological surveys, pollution management plans, bird surveys, and more, which can often take longer than initially expected.

Nevertheless, the development is making strides. We anticipate that preliminary groundwork will commence shortly, leading to major construction activities scheduled for this coming summer.

Earlier this week, Aran Blackbourne, director of Bangor Marine Ltd. shared his optimism and dedication to the project, stating:

“We have been making steady progress behind-the-scenes as we work to begin Marine Gardens, with our current programme to start on site in Summer 2024.

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.”

**Footnote: "BangorByTheSea" will publish all updates as and when they are released. To stay informed and up-to-date, please consider following this page by clicking on "Follow" in the menu:- https://www.facebook.com/bangorbythesea

Queens Parade Developers Provide Encouraging Update

18th July 2023

Bangor Marine, the consortium leading the transformation of Queens Parade, has released a statement, shedding light on the latest developments of their ambitious city centre. Collaborating with partners, including Hemingway Design, the developers have been diligently working on refining the intricate details of the extensive Marine Gardens area.

Bangor Marine Secures £9.8m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund

        20th January 2023

The long-awaited "Green Form" has been Issued

October 2022

Follow the link below to read the decision notice

COUNCIL APPROVES QUEENS PARADE DEVELOPMENT …again!

July 2022

JUNE 2022 - The Developers (Bangor Marine) submit a Revised Construction Schedule

 QUEENS PARADE GETS GO-AHEAD AS DFI MINISTER RETURNS THE APPLICATION TO THE COUNCIL

  March 2022

The Queens Parade Story to date, as of 20/02/22.

County Down Spectator Article  - QUEENS PARADE LIMBO

It is understood that the Councils Planning Committee is to meet on Tuesday the 18^th of January to discuss the proposed Reservoir Safety legislation. Their objective is to deliver a response to the Department of Infrastructure's consultation process.

The meeting will take place just three working days before the end of the consultation process allowing no time for the committee to bring their response to a full council meeting. They have however been given the authority to deliver their response to the DFI on behalf of the entire council.

There are a number of questions that arise from this briefing.

1. Why did they leave their engagement with the consultation process until the eleventh hour?

2. The Clandeboye lake issue was raised many months ago. Did any of our elected representatives, either individually or collectively directly engage with the DFI Minister or the DFC Minister (who is the project lead) to petition against “worst case scenario” modelling?

3. What is the objective of this meeting and how do the committee members envisage their response (to the consultation exercise) will break the current deadlock?

4. If the Reservoir Safety Legislation does not currently apply to Northern Ireland why do the planners not operate solely within the boundaries of current NI legislation?

Responsibility

There is also the issue of our locally elected representatives (at all levels) not taking any responsibility for the failures thus far.

Local social media pages repeatedly see councillors shift their responsibility and blame to the Department for Communities. The fact is, the Council are project partners with the DFC and the developers “Bangor Marine” so it is incumbent on them, particularly as the local authority to use their power and influence to best effect. Meanwhile the lack of progress would suggest that they have been sitting on their hands.

Communication

As already mentioned, the Queens Parade project is a joint enterprise but where our local Council should be taking the lead is in communication, as they are closest to the people most invested in the scheme. But, yet again the Councils performance has been shockingly poor.

We (the public) have two main go-to platforms for information. There is the DFC webpage which is:-

https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/articles/regeneration-queens-parade-bangor

or the Councils page:-

https://www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/business/bangor-regeneration/queens-parade

Please note the contradictory statements:

DFC Page:-

“A number of properties were acquired through a Vesting Order in January 2017, which completed the Departments acquisition of all the required land and property to take forward the scheme.”

Council Page:

The Queen’s Parade area of Bangor has been largely derelict for almost 20 years and its regeneration has been a priority for the Department for Communities, which owns most of the site.

And:-

“Council awaits DfI Planning’s determination, and in the meantime continues to work alongside the developer, Bangor Marine, and the Department for Communities, who currently own the majority of the site, to progress the scheme.”

So, what is the current state of affairs, do the DFC own all the required land and property?

Oversight & Governance

I refer again to the DFC webpage.

It states that:-

“A Project Board, comprising representatives from the Department, Ards & North Down Borough Council, Strategic Investment Board, Land & Property Services and the developer, has been established to oversee the governance and delivery of the Development Scheme, ensuring compliance with the conditions and timescales set within the Development Agreement.

This Board will meet regularly throughout the duration of the project.”

1. How many times has the project board met thus far?

2. When did the Project Board last convene?

The DFC Page also states:-

“Work is ongoing between the Department for Communities, the Ards and North Down Borough Council, and the developer, Bangor Marine, to develop a joint communications and stakeholder engagement plan, to inform the local community of progress as we enter the next phases of the Queen’s Parade Development. Part of this work involves Bangor Marine developing a website where updates will be publicised.”

1. Has the joint communications and stakeholder engagement plan been established?

2. How many times has joint communications and stakeholder engagement plan met thus far?

3. When did the joint communications and stakeholder engagement plan last convene?

4. When will the aforementioned website be accessible?

The former B&M Bargains is an integral part of the regeneration scheme which is earmarked for completion by 2025.

1. Why do the DFC have this building on the market “To Let” given that it is due for demolition?

There are many more questions requiring answers but it would be greatly appreciated if our local Councillors in particular, and/or our MLA's/Ministers would care to furnish their electorate with answers to the above as a start to a new and more transparent engagement with those they claim to represent.

Please leave your comments on our FaceBook page:- 

The Queens Parade Redevelopment Scheme Faces Further Setbacks

October 2021

Further document released on 18th October 2021

Click on the Document Below

January 2021

 

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has welcomed the planning approval of a £50m mixed use development in the Queen’s Parade area of Bangor.

 

Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Planning Committee gave their approval at a meeting in January 2021.

The proposed scheme, developed by Bangor Marine Ltd (a partnership between Karl Group and Farrans), will see extensive improvements to the run down area of Bangor including new homes, a hotel, public realm scheme, events space and cafes/restaurants.

 

Welcoming approval of the Queen’s Parade planning application, Minister Hargey said:

 

“This is yet another major step in the right direction towards seeing this long awaited development delivered for the people of Bangor. This exciting scheme will create jobs, shops, offices and homes, and regenerate an area of the town that has been run down for some time. This is a genuinely exciting time for Bangor especially as we look forward to more positive times when we can emerge from the covid pandemic. I want to thank Council and Bangor Marine Ltd for their efforts in progressing this significant application at a challenging time.

I know this development is much anticipated by the local community and I too look forward to seeing the scheme go from concept to reality. With Queen’s Parade and the ongoing plans for the wider regeneration of the Bangor seafront area as part of the Belfast Region City Deal, there is much to look forward to for Bangor town centre in the future.”

The Queen’s Parade area of Bangor has been largely derelict for almost 20 years and its regeneration has been a priority for the Department for Communities, which owns most of the site.  The site was offered for sale by way of a Development Brief.  The Department, Ards and North Down Borough Council and Bangor Marine reached formal agreement on the terms that formed a Development Agreement in May 2019.

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Trevor Cummings said:

“The Planning Committee’s approval of this £50m development is an immense boost to Bangor, and the wider Ards and North Down area. Planning Officers worked closely with Bangor Marine and various consultees to redesign any potential obstacles in order that the application could be recommended to proceed. We are grateful to all those who contributed to the process, which was complex and rigorous".

He continued:

“Having achieved this milestone we can look forward to seeing progress on the programme for work ‘on the ground’ and further engagement with local residents and businesses. The Queen’s Parade development, combined with the Council’s own plans to regenerate Bangor Waterfront, offer the potential for more than £110m of investment to come into the town delivering new attractions, accommodations and commercial opportunities. These really are game-changing times for Bangor and we are all impatient to see them come to fruition.”

 

Aran Blackbourne of Bangor Marine Ltd said:

“This is hugely exciting. Getting planning approval moves us another step closer to our vision of bringing life back to Queen’s Parade and giving a much needed boost for the whole town. We would like to thank our professional team of Todd Architects, Park Hood, Atkins and Turley in working with us to secure planning permission.

“We want to create a place for local people and visitors to enjoy, a place to live, socialise and soak up the wonderful sea views. We want to play our part in creating a sustainable future for this beautiful town. There is still a lot of hard work ahead but we are ready for the next phase and we will keep people informed on plans and timescales as they unfold.”

 

The proposed Bangor Marine Ltd scheme is made up of;

• Marine Gardens Public Realm combining External Events Space
• Cafes
• Sheltered Promenade & Kiosks
• Seafront Lawns
• Children’s Play Area & Water Feature
• a Hotel
• a Destination/Cinema Building
• Residential Units
• Commercial/Retail/Restaurant Space
• Office Space
• a Play Zone
• Refurbishment of Existing Commercial Properties
• basement Car Park
• Marketplace & Courtyard Squares.

Director of Bangor Marine Ltd. speakes about his vision for Bangor

THE FULL PLANNING REPORT IS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD USING THE LINK BELOW

"Bangor Marine Limited"

New Revised Plan

Now that we're properly into the new year and the dust of 2020 has settled, it's a perfect time to take stock of where we're at in terms of the long anticipated development of our seafront and town centre.

Whilst 2020 severely disrupted many of our personal plans and dampened our spirits I am gladly surprised that the planning application submitted by “Bangor Marine” (the Queens Parade developers) in January 2020 is pushing forward steadily.

Many of the issues raised by the varies government departments have been essentially resolved and the application will be brought to a special Council planning meeting next week with an expectation that planning consent will be achieved.

So I would expect construction work to begin around Autumn of 2021.

 I hope for all our sakes that 2021 is a year were the light at the end of the tunnel shines brighter and brighter so we can move forward better and stronger as a town and as a community.

The proposed development seeks to transform the wider Queen’s Parade and marina area with the development of a hotel, retail, office, community, cultural and recreational space, in addition to eateries, a residential development as well as the creation of new public squares and courtyards.

£50 Million Seafront Development Plan Agreed

Bangor Marine Ltd has been appointed to take forward a major £50 million regeneration project of Queen's Parade in Bangor.

The scheme will transform the County Down town's seafront, bringing new houses, shops, offices and employment opportunities to the area.

Bangor Marine has been awarded the contract by the Department for Communities, which Permanent Secretary Tracy Meharg said will support the vitality of the employment and tourism industry. She commented: "The new hotel and cafes will encourage more tourists to visit Bangor and help to support the retail offering and enhance the evening economy. The new homes will lead to more people living in Bangor again supporting local consumer outlets. When combined with new offices, this development will help to create new employment opportunities and breathe new life back into Bangor."

The proposed scheme includes the following additions to the seafront: 

• children's play area and water feature

• sheltered promenade and kiosks

• marine gardens public realm combining external events space

• seafront lawns

• a 70-80 bed hotel

• a destination/cinema building

• residential units

• commercial, retail & restaurant spaces

• a play zone

• refurbishment of existing commercial properties

• 200 space car park

• market place & courtyard squares.

 

Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Richard Smart, said the regeneration of Queen's Parade is "critical" for the future of Bangor and of maximising the economic growth potential of the area.

CGI Images Released on November 2020

New Computer Generated Images of Proposed Cinema/Arts Centre

Computer Generated Image just released showing the proposed cinema on "The Market Place" ...a new public square created as part of the Queens Parade development

Key features include:-

On closer consideration of the design we can appreciate the natural stone cladding adorning the pillars and ground floor elevations.
The protruding and recessed fenestration is perfectly balanced to provide shelter and to capitalize on the stunning waterfront views.

The building can be purposed for Bangor's many festivals including Open House and Sea Bangor etc.
Hopefully the many positive elements of the building will grow in favour as its purpose and potential is realised.

The protruding and recessed fenestration is perfectly balanced to provide shelter and to capitalize on the stunning waterfront views.

Planning Design Addendum - 29th July 2020

Same Apartment block as seen from Southwell Road end of Queens Parade