Belfast City Centre is the
central business districtA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city...
of the
city of BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
,
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
The city centre was originally centred around the Donegall Street area. Donegall Street is now mainly a business area, but with expanding residential and entertainment development as part of the
Cathedral QuarterThe Cathedral Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a developing area of the city, roughly situated between Royal Avenue near where the Belfast Central Library building is, and the Dunbar Link in the city centre...
scheme - Belfast's Anglican cathedral (St. Anne's) is located here. The Roman Catholic cathedral
St. Peter'sSt. Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast. is the Roman Catholic cathedral church for the diocese of Down and Connor and is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor...
is located a little to the west of the city centre.
Two of Belfast's three main newspapers -
The Belfast Telegraph and
The Irish News are also located nearby.
The News LetterThe News Letter is one of Northern Ireland's main daily newspapers, published Monday to Saturday. It is the oldest English language general daily newspaper still in publication in the world, having first been printed in 1737....
, which claims to be the oldest continually published
English languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
daily newspaper still in existence, was originally located in the area.
The city centre is now centred on
Donegall SquareDonegall Square is a square in the centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. In the centre is Belfast City Hall, the headquarters of Belfast City Council. Each side of the square is named according to its geographical location, ie Donegall Square North, South, East and West. It is named after the...
(location of the
City HallBelfast City Hall is the civic building of the Belfast City Council. Located in Donegall Square, it faces north and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre.-History:...
), Royal Avenue and High Street.
Redevelopment
Over the past decade the City Centre has seen expansive redevelopment. The
Laganside DevelopmentThe Laganside Corporation was a non-departmental public body formed by the Laganside Development Order 1989 with the goal of regenerating large sections of land in Belfast, Northern Ireland adjacent to the River Lagan...
includes the landmark
Waterfront HallThe Waterfront Hall is a concert hall and exhibition centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....
, BT Tower,
Hilton HotelHilton Hotels is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by the Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels are either owned, managed, or franchised to independent operators by the Hilton Hotels Corporation. there are 533 Hilton branded hotels across...
,
Odyssey ComplexThe Odyssey is a large sports and entertainment centre situated on Queen's Island, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The area is now known as the Titanic Quarter. It was jointly funded by the Millennium Commission , the Laganside Corporation , the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure , the Sheridan...
and various riverside apartment complexes.
The
Gasworks Business Park is owned by
Belfast City CouncilBelfast City Council is the city council for Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the largest local council, serving the largest city in Northern Ireland and had an estimated population of in . It is the central council for Metropolitan Belfast which has a population of 576,500. The Council is based...
and managed by the Councils Estates Management Unit. The site contains commercial offices,
call centreA call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
s, small business units, housing, cafés & restaurants, the
Radisson Hotel-Person:*Pierre-Esprit Radisson, a French explorer and fur trader in America -Places:*Radisson, Wisconsin, an American village*Radisson , Wisconsin, an American town...
and an award winning public landscaped park. The Gasworks has been internationally recognised as a key example of
brownfieldBrownfields are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use. Expansion or redevelopment of such a facility may be complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations....
regeneration in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
and has won numerous awards in relation to all aspects of its development. The initial phase is now almost complete and the City Council are currently preparing a master plan in preparation for the commencement of Phase II development.
Victoria SquareVictoria Square is a commercial, residential and leisure development in Belfast, Northern Ireland developed and built by Multi Development UK over 6 years. At approx 800,000ft² and costing £400m it is the biggest and one of the most expensive property developments ever undertaken in Northern...
is a commercial, residential and leisure development in Belfast developed and built by Multi Development UK UK over 6 years. At approx 800,000ft² (75,000m²) and costing £400m it is the biggest and one of the most expensive property developments ever undertaken in Northern Ireland. It opened on March 6, 2008. Its anchor tenant at nearly 200,000ft² (18,581m²) is the largest
House of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with 62 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The flagship London store is House of Fraser on Oxford Street in London whilst the retailer has recently undertaken its largest new store opening in Belfast.Over the years House of Fraser has...
that the retailer has opened in the UK (as opposed to taken over).
In March 2006, the government gave the go-ahead for a £300m regeneration of a run-down part of Belfast city centre, in the
Cathedral QuarterThe Cathedral Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a developing area of the city, roughly situated between Royal Avenue near where the Belfast Central Library building is, and the Dunbar Link in the city centre...
, which could create up to 2,000 jobs. Plans include a new shopping centre, anchored by a department store. The project will not be completed until 2011. It is estimated that 1,000 people will help build the development and 2,000 will be employed there.
Notable buildings
- Albert Clock
The Albert Memorial Clock is a tall clock tower situated at Queen's Square in Belfast, Northern Ireland.-History:Constructed between 1865 and 1870, as a memorial to Queen Victoria's late Prince Consort, Prince Albert, it stands 113 feet tall. A statue of the Prince in robes of a Knight of the...
, Victoria Street
- Bittle's Bar, Victoria Square
- City Hall
Belfast City Hall is the civic building of the Belfast City Council. Located in Donegall Square, it faces north and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre.-History:...
, Donegall Square
- Custom House, Custom House Square
- Linenhall Library, Donegall Square North
- The Obel Tower
The Obel Tower is a building currently under construction in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Costing £85 million and measuring 80.5 metres in height, the tower when completed is set to dominate the Belfast skyline. It will overtake the current tallest skyscraper in Ireland, Windsor House , also in Belfast...
, (due to be completed 2010)
- Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, commonly known as Inst, is a private, voluntary, non-denominational grammar school for boys, founded in 1810, in College Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference...
(RBAI), College Square East
- St. George's Church
The Parish Church of Saint George, Belfast, more commonly known as St. George's Church, Belfast is a Church of Ireland church located on High Street in Belfast City Centre...
, High Street
- St. George's Market, May Street
- The Ulster Hall
The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade B1 listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, classical recitals, craft fairs and political party conferences...
, Bedford Street
- The Waterfront Hall
The Waterfront Hall is a concert hall and exhibition centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....
, Lanyon Place
- Windsor House
Windsor House is a high-rise office building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The building is the tallest storeyed building on the island of Ireland and stands at 80 metres tall, with 23 floors. Once completed, the Obel Tower will overtake Windsor House as the tallest in Ireland and in turn the...
, Bedford Street
- Victoria Square
Various places are named Victoria Square:* Victoria Square a major mixed use regeneration scheme in the North East Quarter of Belfast City Centre* Victoria Square, London, England...
Bars and clubs
- McHugh's Bar
McHugh's Bar is a public house in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located on Queen's Square in Belfast City Centre, it is one of the city's best known pubs and the oldest building in Belfast.-History:...
, Queen's Square
- The Crown Liquor Saloon
The Crown Liquor Saloon is a public house in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Refurbished to a high standard in 1885, it is an outstanding example of a Victorian gin palace, and is one of Northern Ireland's best-known pubs.-History:...
, Great Victoria Street
- The Limelight
The Limelight is the name of a string of different nightclubs that were owned and operated by Peter Gatien: in Atlanta, Chicago, Hollywood, Florida, New York, and London.-History:...
, Ormeau Avenue
- The Northern Whig
The Northern Whig is a bar housed in a historical building in Belfast, Northern Ireland.It is situated in the Cathedral Quarter, just to the north of the city centre...
, Waring Street