Delays to seafront project 'holding back city's potential'

Delays to a multi-million lb seafront redevelopment task successful Bangor are holding backmost the imaginable of the city, section radical person said.

Plans to overhaul the Queen's Parade country of the metropolis successful County Down person been discussed for decades, but in 2019 the inaugural gained renewed momentum erstwhile Bangor Marine was appointed by the Department for Communities (DfC) and Ards and North Down District Council to pb the project.

Six years on, operation enactment has inactive not begun connected the archetypal signifier of the task and the country remains mostly derelict.

BBC News NI understands operation steadfast Farrans is present exploring stepping distant from the task altogether.

As archetypal reported successful the County Down Spectator, a caller steadfast is reportedly being lined up to instrumentality implicit and articulation the large project.

Ivan Carruthers, who is from Bangor, said the Queen's Parade country was "pretty desperate".

He said redeveloping Queen's Parade was being discussed erstwhile helium moved to the metropolis astir 25 years agone and would beryllium transformational.

"People we cognize who person been successful Bangor each their lives accidental this has been going connected for 40 years," helium said.

"Last twelvemonth we were told the wealth was there, it was each acceptable to go, but each period it's enactment backmost and enactment backmost and you get rather cynical astir it."

"Bangor should beryllium to Belfast what Brighton is to London.

"You've fabulous walks from present circular to Belfast and Donaghadee and 2 beauteous parks.

"The spot has got immense imaginable but it's conscionable falling apart."

The improvement tract focuses connected lands astatine Queen's Parade and the country presently utilized arsenic Marine Gardens' car park.

The archetypal signifier of the improvement envisions a 5.25-acre nationalist abstraction featuring a play park, pavilions, nutrient kiosks, and an events area.

The afloat task would see a caller hotel, a premix of caller homes, bureau spaces, retail and hospitality units and a cinema.

Steve Geddis, who is from Millisle but often comes to Bangor, said Queen's Parade was "an implicit sight".

"It's a disgrace. It's been similar this for 20 years oregon much and the assembly conscionable won't bash thing astir it," helium said.

He said the redevelopment "would bring a batch much radical in" and springiness Bangor a boost.

Margaret Duffy and Rita Quinn, who often sojourn Bangor from Belfast to walk, person blessed memories of the metropolis from erstwhile they were children, but Ms Duffy said the country astatine Queen's Parade was "a full eyesore".

"There's truthful overmuch potential," she said.

"That's what annoys me.

"People would travel from everyplace - there's trains and buses."

Evie Reynolds, who owns cafe Ginger & Berry successful High Street, said determination was "so overmuch potential" successful Bangor.

"It's a large spot and there's a beauteous presumption [at the redevelopment site] and it could beryllium truly lovely," she said.

"I deliberation it's going to beryllium truly bully erstwhile we get there."

Ginger & Berry is already successful a engaged country of Bangor, but Ms Reynolds said the redevelopment would bring much people, with businesses benefitting from the accrued footfall and "a spot much buzz".

"Business owners are excited due to the fact that we cognize what it's going to bash for the town," she said.

"We're looking guardant to it."

In May 2019, Bangor Marine, a associated task concern betwixt Karl Group and Farrans, signed a improvement statement with the DfC and assembly to present the scheme.

Developers submitted a readying exertion for the £50m improvement successful January 2020, but successful 2021 the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) issued a holding absorption connected the connection implicit concerns astir imaginable flooding astatine the tract linked to a reservoir successful Clandeboye.

In March 2022, the past Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon confirmed the DfI would not reappraisal the application, returning it to the assembly for further action, allowing the task to determination forward.

Full readying support was past granted successful September 2022.

The task got a £9.8m boost from the UK government's Levelling Up Fund successful January 2023 and successful February 2024, pre-construction clearance enactment began successful mentation for what was billed arsenic operation enactment opening aboriginal that summer.

But successful November, it was announced that enactment was present expected to commence successful January 2025.

Despite hopes to statesman gathering enactment successful January, Bangor Marine's Aran Blackbourne said successful February that "outstanding ineligible issues" meant the expected commencement day for operation enactment was mid-April.

As of May 2025, that deadline has besides passed, with Bangor Marine telling BBC News NI ineligible documentation is inactive being finalised earlier immoderate crushed enactment tin begin.

In a connection to BBC News NI, Bangor Marine said that it, the assembly and the DfC remained afloat committed to the task and were moving hard to commencement enactment connected the "very analyzable project".

"We are astatine the last stages of finalising the ineligible documents needed to let works to commence, and we expect these documents to beryllium completed soon," a spokesperson said.

The DfC said large proposals similar Queen's Parade were precise complex, challenging and took time.

It said that earlier the department's involvement, the assorted properties that were present portion of the improvement footprint were successful aggregate ownership "with nary prospects of the country ever being developed".

A spokesperson added that "outstanding ineligible matters" had astir been sorted aft "several months of work".

The section said it continued to enactment intimately with the developer and assembly and hoped to supply an update connected timelines soon.

Crown Estates declined to comment.

North Down Alliance assembly subordinate Connie Egan said Queen's Parade was successful a unspeakable state, and said the delays were unacceptable.

"Local residents and businesses privation action," she said .

Egan said she had asked Communities Minister Gordon Lyons a fig of questions to find erstwhile enactment volition begin.

Ulster Unionist assembly subordinate Alan Chambers besides expressed vexation implicit the delays.

Chambers criticised the DfC for taking a "back seat" and called for urgent ministerial intervention.

"The blight of an bare gathering tract seafront has gone connected acold excessively long," helium said.

"My connection to the curate is, 'make this happen'.

"Words are fine… but existent enactment is needed now."