Introduction

Keep up to date with news about this project, by joining out mailing list at bangorwaterfront@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk

NEWS

Ards and North Down Borough Council, along with our Belfast Region City Deal partners, welcomed clarification on Monday 16 September from the Department of Finance, following communication between the NI Secretary of State and HM Treasury in relation to the continued commitment to the Belfast Region City Deal, signed in December 2021.

We welcome the statement from the Finance Minister to the Northern Ireland Assembly, delivered on Monday as outlined:

"The Secretary of State is happy to confirm that following communication with HMT nothing has changed on the status of the Belfast Region City Deal, which was signed back in December 2021 and continues to make great progress."

Belfast Region City Deal partners also welcome the positive news that the Derry City and Strabane District Council City Deal will be signed on Wednesday 18 September, and wish to state their very clear support for colleagues in the Mid-South West Growth Deal and the Causeway Coast & Glens Growth Deal. We urge the UK Government to lift the pause on commitments relating to those Deals. Together, the four deals offer significant growth potential for Northern Ireland as a whole.

The Belfast Region City Deal - the result of a strong and established partnership - is now well into delivery phase with:

- 15 Outline Business Cases approved, including the Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment

- 12 legally executed Contracts for Funding signed, including the Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment, totalling approx £600m

- 15 ICT contracts awarded including 2 for Bangor Waterfront

- two projects in construction

- a number of projects already in operation.

Having signed the £40M BRCD Contract for Funding in January 2023, work continues apace on the exciting Bangor Waterfront Regeneration plans which will transform the long-term economic growth of our city, as well as enhancing the quality of life for the people who live, work, study, do business, and invest here, now and in the years to come.

UPDATES

Following an extensive tender process, a design team led by Northern Ireland based WH Stephens was appointed in May to manage, design and deliver the Ballyholme Yacht Club Water Sports Centre project and associated consultation process. Work on the design, stakeholder engagement and consultation strategy will commence immediately, while construction is expected to be completed by 2028.

In September, Council Members approved the appointment of Belfast based McAdam to manage, design and deliver the redevelopment of Bangor's iconic, family-favourite, Pickie Fun Park.

In terms of the schedule, the next project currently undergoing the ICT tender process is the Public Realm/Urban Waterfront Redevelopment. This will be followed by Bangor Marina and Phase II of the Court House over the coming months.

OVERVIEW

The Council is progressing ambitious plans to redevelop a 2-mile stretch of the Bangor seafront over the next 10 years, to help re-establish Bangor as a thriving city and prime visitor attraction in Northern Ireland.

The Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment is just one of a number of exciting tourism-led regeneration schemes that was eligible to receive funding from the Belfast Region City Deal.  Council has been awarded £40 million for the 10-year development via a bespoke package of funding from the Department of Communities, with £20 million secured from Council and an additional investment of £12.8 million being sought from private investment.

Work has been taking place on the necessary stages required to develop each of the 5 individual projects that make up the Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment. Each project requires its own Integrated Consultancy Team (design team) to be appointed to design, manage and deliver each project. This involves 5 individual and bespoke procurement processes. :

• The development of a Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire (PQQ) to allow interested companies to formally demonstrate if they have the necessary experience, skills etc. to deliver the required scope of works.

• The development of an Invitation to Tender package (ITT).

• Both sets of documents require approval from Construction and Procurement Delivery (CPD) within the Department of Finance before they can be issued and this must be undertaken 5 times, once for each of the 5 projects.

• Each stage is evaluated and then a report is brought to Council recommending the appointment of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT).

Find out more about the plans for the Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment in this video presentation.

BACKGROUND

The vision (Bangor Vision Identity Framework (PDF) is to seamlessly connect the waterfront to the rest of the city and, in so doing, provide a unique range of opportunities for residents and visitors to have their lives and businesses enriched by a mix of public spaces, creative events, activities, attractions and experiences that speak of local stories to a global audience.  

In August 2019 the Council appointed a consultant to lead on the delivery of this project and to deliver on this vision.  Working with the Council, the consultant undertook a significant amount of work to really understand the qualities that make Bangor special and local people's hopes for the future of the waterfront. You can read the results of their findings here Survey results 2019 (PDF)

View the Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment Digital Brochure (adobe.com)

The programme comprises the following 5 projects parts starting at Skippingstone in the west and finishing at Bank's Lane in the east of the city. 

KEEPING YOU INFORMED

One of the key objectives of the Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment programme, is to keep the public, businesses and stakeholders informed and involved. Following the award of the Contract for Funding in January 2023, the Bangor Waterfront Team hosted 6 Public Information sessions presenting the programme in detail and explaining the timeline for the 10-year Redevelopment.

These sessions also addressed questions and the myths that inevitably circulate. Additional sessions were also held with Bangor Marina & Harbour Users, Bangor City Advisory Group, Students at SERC Bangor, Members of the Sports Forum and Members of the Northern Community Leisure Trust.

These sessions are just the beginning of a long process of communications and engagement to be rolled out over the next few years which will involve all Bangor residents, businesses, stakeholders and the wider Borough. More sessions will be scheduled through 2024 as the project progresses. In the meantime, any questions can be submitted by email to: bangorwaterfront@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk