Belfast office development could create 600 jobs

Belfast Harbour has secured planning permission for a new £20 million waterfront office development close to the city centre which could create 600 jobs during construction.

The City Quays 2 development is part of a larger £250 million scheme that includes a mix of commercial offices, residential space, shops and a proposed 200 bedroom hotel.

Construction of the Quays scheme is being funded by Belfast Harbour which has one of the largest real estate portfolios in the city – around 700 firms including Intel, Citi, Microsoft and Fujitsu which employ around 21,000 people – are located within the harbour estate.

In a separate decision Belfast Harbour has also received planning permission for a 200,000 sq ft extension of its Sydenham Business Park near George Best City Airport.The Harbour will be able to develop 26 new business units on the 90 acre park which is primarily aimed at small to medium sized firms.

The welcome boost for the North’s construction sector from Belfast Harbour’s latest office project in Belfast comes as new official figures show total unemployment in Northern Ireland fell to 53,000 in the three months to August - the lowest level in five years.

The North's jobless rate, estimated to be 6.1 per cent over the same period, remained above the UK average of 6 per cent but below the European Union average rate of 10.2 per cent for July.

Last month the number of people claiming jobless benefits also fell by 300 to 52,000.

The Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index, which measures economic activity, also published today shows that the index increased by 0.3 per cent over the second quarter and by 1.2 per cent over the year.

The North's Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster says this shows "evidence of real growth" in the local economy but has also warned that no one should take this for granted.

“Since the start of 2014 Invest Northern Ireland has announced over 1250 new jobs from 11 new inward investors.

“It is the success of both our local companies and the decisions by global corporations to base themselves here that are continuing to drive Northern Ireland’s economic growth,” the Minister said.