Belfast City Council purchases historic Assembly Rooms in major Cathedral Quarter regeneration move

Belfast City Council has today (Friday October 24) completed the purchase of the historic Assembly Rooms, rear extension and adjacent assets in Cathedral Quarter as part of its ongoing city centre regeneration drive.

Belfast City Council has completed the purchase of the city’s historic Assembly Rooms, marking a major milestone in its ongoing city centre regeneration strategy.

The deal, finalised today (Friday 24 October), includes the Grade B1 listed Assembly Rooms, its rear extension, and several adjacent assets in the Cathedral Quarter – an area at the heart of Belfast’s cultural and creative life.

The Assembly Rooms, located on the corner of North Street and Waring Street, dates back to 1769 and has been vacant since 2000.

The building holds a unique place in Belfast’s history – it was where plans to establish a slave trading company were rejected in 1786, where the Belfast Harp Festival took place in 1792, and where Henry Joy McCracken was sentenced to death in 1798.

The site’s historical and architectural importance was recently recognised by the World Monuments Fund (WMF), which selected it for inclusion in the 2025 World Monuments Watch – a global programme that highlights 25 heritage sites of “extraordinary significance” facing urgent challenges.

Potential future uses for the Assembly Rooms are currently under review by the Council, with decisions expected following further exploration and consultation.

Neighbouring acquisitions to support regeneration

Alongside the Assembly Rooms, the Council has also purchased neighbouring properties from Castlebrooke Investments, including:

• Part of the Donegall Street carpark site

• 5–9 North Street (former Laffin Travel building)

• Braddell’s Building, 11 North Street (also Grade B1 listed)

These acquisitions are intended to strengthen the Council’s heritage-led approach to revitalising the Cathedral and Northeast Quarter, supported by new supplementary planning guidance due to go out for public consultation later this autumn.

The proposed planning framework aims to encourage a mix of residential, creative, and innovation-focused uses, breathing new life into this historically significant area.

“A significant and symbolic purchase for the city”

Councillor Natasha Brennan, Chair of Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, described the acquisition as a landmark step in the city’s regeneration journey.

“The Assembly Rooms is one of Belfast’s most historic assets, so this is both a significant and a symbolic purchase for council,” she said.

“Regenerating this area of the city centre is a key focus for us, and our acquisition of The Assembly Rooms and neighbouring properties gives us an important opportunity to breathe new life and vibrancy into it.”

Cllr Brennan added that the move aligns with a broader set of initiatives designed to revitalise the city centre, enhance liveability, and preserve Belfast’s architectural heritage.

“Belfast’s success depends on a successful city core – that’s why we’re focusing a range of initiatives to make our city centre the best it can be,” she said.

“Our successful Vacant to Vibrant initiative has awarded 48 grants to help restore vacant city centre units – 23 of those have helped, or are helping, to regenerate a historic building or building of interest. We’ll be opening Belfast Stories, a stunning new public space, visitor attraction and creative hub for the city in 2030.

“We’re also transforming Cathedral Gardens into a world-class public space for people to gather, relax and play by next year, and our partnership with GRAHAM will deliver £280m worth of residential-led, mixed use developments in the city centre and provide much needed city centre living – so the jigsaw pieces really are coming together to create the vibrant, accessible and thriving city centre we all want to see and experience.”

A catalyst for wider investment

The Council said that reinvigorating this cluster of historic buildings would act as a “regeneration catalyst” for the wider area, attracting further investment and contributing to the long-term transformation of the city centre.

With its architectural significance, central location, and powerful historical legacy, the restoration of the Assembly Rooms is expected to become a cornerstone project in the ongoing regeneration of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter.