Queen's Parade (Bangor Marine Ltd)

Updated May 2025

The Queen's Parade area of Bangor waterfront is being developed by Bangor Marine Ltd.  Work is anticipated to start on site at Marine Gardens (seaward side of the development site) in June 2025.  

Bangor Marine Ltd (a joint venture between Oakland Holdings and the Karl Group) was appointed by the Department for Communities and the Council as the preferred developer of the site in May 2019 and planning permission for a mixed-used development was granted in September 2022.  

Working with Bangor Marine Ltd, the Department for Communities leads on the redevelopment of the Queen's Parade area of Bangor.  An extensive summary of the site and recent key milestones is provided on its website: Regeneration of Queen's Parade, Bangor | Department for Communities (communities-ni.gov.uk)

Visit Bangor Marine Ltd's dedicated Queen's Parade website for more details of the redevelopment scheme Home - Bangor Marine (queensparadebangor.com) and to sign up for the newsletter to receive news and updates.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current status of the Queen's Parade Development?

Updated 3 June 2025

DfC Minister Gordon Lyons signed the legal agreements for the Queen's Parade project with partners at Parliament Buildings and announced that work would commence on-site this month.  

Read more HERE.  

Updated 27 May 2025

Bangor Marine have announced that Oakland Holdings will replace Farrans in the consortium.  Oakland Holdings has a long track record of delivering large scale projects and offering financial support packages for developers including the Merchant Square Office complex and the 175 room Belfast Aparthotel.

After months of negotiations, balancing the needs of the Crown Estate and the Developer, key legal matters relating to property and land are now resolved and agreed.  

Having achieved these agreements, the final legal documents to enable the development to start on site can now be signed by all partners and the Crown Estate to enable work to begin on site.  There is a certain sequencing to this legal process that must be followed, and it will take around a week to complete.    

In recent weeks, Bangor Marine has procured a contractor to deliver Marine Gardens.  The contractor can start work within 3 to 4 weeks of the final legal agreements being signed.

Please read the full statement here: Queens Parade 28 May

Updated 9 May 2025 

Bangor Marine, the Council and the Department for Communities are working together to resolve several complex legal issues in order that construction work can start at Marine Garden's in Bangor.  While significant progress has been made in recent months, including the Council approving the deed of variation at the end of March (giving legal effect to the agreed changes to the development agreement), a few outstanding legal matters are still to be finalised. As a result, work will not start in April as had been hoped. 

Elected Members receive regular updates on the scheme's progress at Council meetings.  Members and Officers share the public's frustration with the delays, while recognising the complexities of schemes of this nature.

The Council is unable to comment on commercially sensitive matters relating to the Bangor Marine partnership structure.  However any changes are considered in line with the Development Agreement and assessed appropriately. 

All parties remain committed to the delivery of the project and are continuing to make every effort to ensure the start of work on site as soon as possible. 

Update 6 February 2025

Bangor Marine, Aran Blackbourne

"We remain committed to delivering Marine Gardens in Bangor and are hopeful of a mid-April date for the start of on-site works. This has been a complex process, with many parties involved and we are pleased to be close to resolving outstanding legal issues. This has involved ongoing collaboration from ourselves, the Department for Communities, the council, the Levelling Up Fund grant and Crown Estates."

Ards and North Down Borough Council fully supports the efforts of Bangor Marine and is committed to working collaboratively to ensure the successful delivery of Marine Gardens. We are optimistic about the progress made and look forward to the commencement of on-site work.

This £50 million project is a significant milestone for Bangor, promising to revitalise the city's centre and boost its economic prospects.

We acknowledge the delays that have occurred due to ongoing legal processes, but we are now confident that we are closer than ever to having all necessary agreements in place. The Council, in collaboration with Bangor Marine and the Department for Communities, has worked diligently to overcome these hurdles.

The regeneration project will be executed in multiple phases, starting with the development of Marine Gardens. This initial phase will include gardens, kiosks, lawns, and event spaces, setting the stage for subsequent phases that will feature a hotel, office spaces, apartments, and a marketplace courtyard with shops, cafes, and restaurants.

We understand the public's frustration with the prolonged timeline of this project. However, we assure you that significant progress has been made, and we are now closer than ever to realising this vision. The redevelopment will not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of the City of Bangor but also attract tourism, increase footfall in the city centre, and provide new opportunities for residents and businesses alike.

We appreciate the community's patience and support as we embark on this transformative journey. Together, we look forward to a vibrant and prosperous future for Bangor.

Update 16 January 2025

Statement from Bangor Marine on Marine Gardens

Aran Blackbourne of Bangor Marine, a partnership between Karl and Farrans, said:

"Bangor Marine, Ards and North Down Borough Council and the Department for Communities continue to work hard to progress a number of outstanding legal agreements in relation to the development of Marine Gardens. We had been hopeful of a start on site in January. Unfortunately, these processes have taken longer than anticipated due to their complexity and we cannot begin work on site until all agreements are completed and in place.

"We understand that each delay is frustrating to the City.  We remain committed to the scheme and to providing regular updates on the progress of Marine Gardens. We will issue another statement at the end of January to keep the local community informed of the project status at that point."

Update July 2023

Aran Blackbourne of Bangor Marine said:

"Over the last few months, we have been working on the detailed design for the Queen's Parade project in consultation with the Council and Hemingway Design. This has resulted in some unique opportunities to improve the offering at Marine Gardens, including the introduction of a new play area. We believe these changes will greatly enhance the plans, providing additional benefits for residents and visitors to the city.

It was fantastic to receive an award of £9.8m from the Government's Levelling Up Fund for Marine Gardens. We have been working closely with the Levelling Up Fund team to finalise the funding arrangements, including the commitments required from Bangor Marine, and we hope these will all be in place in the very near future.

We are also undertaking the requirements to satisfy the Planning Pre-Conditions. Unfortunately, this is taking a little longer than we originally anticipated. This involves preparing reports and carrying out surveys, which are then sent to the various consultees for consideration.

With all of this needing to be finalised before we can get going on site, there will be a short delay in seeing work starting. However, we hope to undertake pre-start works late this year, with construction starting early 2024.

We remain fully committed to delivering this landmark project for the City of Bangor."

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Bangor Marine received the formal decision notice of planning permission for their development on 29 September 2022.

Bangor Marine recognise that there is a high level of public interest in the redevelopment and are keen to get construction started as soon as possible. Since gaining planning consent, the company has been working hard with all stakeholders with the intention of beginning work on the Marine Gardens public realm phase in summer 2023. There are still challenges to resolve ahead of mobilising on site. One key area is ecology and Bangor Marine is lining up all appropriate surveys to ensure full compliance with the appropriate guidance. Depending on the findings of the surveys, some aspects of the programme of work may be moved into the Autumn.

What is the current proposal? 

A £50m+ private investment that will deliver:

• A 67-bed hotel with spa/ swimming pool
• 138 new homes (37 x 1 beds/ 98 x 2 beds/ 3 x 3 beds)
• Over 6000m2 of office space
• 1,858m2 of food and beverage/ retail opportunities
• A destination/ cinema building
• 1,208m2 indoor activity space
• 255 space car park
• Marine Gardens public realm and open space

What specifically will be done at Marine Gardens and how long will the work take? 

The Marine Gardens is a significant public realm element of the Queen's Parade regeneration project, which will include a new play park, two pavilions, kiosks with food and beverage offerings, an events space, and associated landscaping.

Bangor Marine secured UK 'Local Government Funding' of £9.8m (previously known as Levelling Up Funding) for this part of the scheme.  

Bangor Marine aims to have construction completed on this part of the scheme by July 2026.

How will the City manage the loss of the large car park along Queen's Parade as part of this development?

An analysis of car parking in Bangor some time ago, determined that there are sufficient car parking spaces in Bangor. This was carried out before the Flagship opened its car park now offering 500 spaces. In addition to on-street parking spaces, those in the Asda car park and in the Dufferin Avenue Park & Ride, current car parks in Bangor include:

Pay & Display: Free Parking:

• Abbey Street (East & West)
• Bingham Lane
• Castle Street
• Central Avenue
• Clifton Road
• Holborn Road
• Mills Road
• The Vennel
• Bangor Marina
• Bangor Castle Grounds
• Banks Lane, Groomsport Road
• Eisenhower Pier
• Lukes Point, Seacliff Road
• Newtownards Road/Church Street
• Ward Park (Pavilion), Gransha Road

What is the difference between Queen's Parade and the Bangor Waterfront project?

These are two different but complimentary investment schemes for Bangor.

Queen's Parade is a £50M investment in a mixed-use development by Bangor Marine - a joint venture between Farrans and Karl Group. It will regenerate the Queen's Parade area of the town centre.

Bangor Waterfront is the redevelopment of a 2 mile stretch of coastline from Skippingstone beach to Ballyholme. It is being led by the Council and is due to receive circa £40M of funding from Belfast Region City Deal. The remaining investment will come from Council (£20M) and the private sector (£12M).

Combined, these schemes will deliver £122M into the town and allow it to embark on its most ambitious regeneration journey for decades.