Call for Expression of Interest for Industrial Land/Property suitable for Business Space Development

The call for Expressions of Interest will open at 12noon on 27th May 2026 and will close at 12noon on 17th June 2026.

Background

Ards and North Down Borough Council (ANDBC) is seeking opportunities to increase the supply of suitable business accommodation within the borough.

This reflects feedback from local business representatives, enterprise partners, and Local Economic Partnership (LEP) members regarding a lack of suitable space to support growth and scaling. In response, the Council is inviting Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from organisations that can help deliver new or improved space for economic use, delivered through two complementary LEP workstreams: Space to Grow and Business Space Revival.

The Space to Grow workstream focuses on the development of new or expanded, fit for purpose business accommodation while Business Space Revival supports the reuse, refurbishment or repurposing of disused or under-utilised buildings to bring them back into productive economic use.

The focus of this initiative is on supporting economic growth through tradeable products and/or services and increased productivity. For the purpose of this EOI, tradeable services are those that enable businesses to enter or grow markets outside Northern Ireland, including through export activity. Proposals should demonstrate how the space provided will support businesses that sell goods or services outside of Northern Ireland and contribute to sustainable economic performance.

The initiative must deliver clearly defined and measurable outputs and/or outcomes by March 2028.

Purpose of the Expression of Interest

This Expression of Interest is intended to:

identify land and/or buildings within the borough that could be developed or adapted to provide space for economic activity.
identify potential delivery partners and appropriate delivery models.
assess market interest, capability, and capacity.
inform future feasibility studies and business case development.
establish realistic outputs and/or outcomes that can be achieved by March 2028, including enabling activity where appropriate.
accelerate project readiness, subject to approvals and funding.

Outcomes may include completed buildings or enabling activity that unlocks future development, such as site preparation, attracting partners, or securing additional investment. Applicants must clearly explain what will be delivered or achieved by March 2028 and how this will support longer-term economic growth.

This EoI is not a procurement exercise and does not commit the Council to acquire, develop, or partner on any site and/or with any parties.

What We Are Looking For

At all stages, proposals should clearly demonstrate how they will:

increase the availability of business space in the borough.
support business growth, scaling, and productivity.
primarily support tradeable products and services

Projects should primarily support businesses with the ambition and potential to sell to markets outside Northern Ireland. This can include firms preparing to export, as well as established exporters that need space to increase capacity and productivity. Proposals should set out how the accommodation will lead to external sales (for example, by enabling additional production, improving logistics, or supporting delivery to external clients)

Proposals do not need to be site-led at this stage, provided there is a clear and realistic route to delivery. This should clearly demonstrate how sites, partnerships and funding would be secured within the programme timescale with an emphasis on deliverability, readiness, and clear next steps rather than scale and ambition.

Projects may be delivered in phases by March 2028 they achieve either physical outputs (such as completed or refurbished space) or clearly defined enabling outputs (such as planning, remediation, infrastructure, funding leveraged) Where phased delivery is proposed, applicants should set out realistic milestones and what will be achieved at each stage

What we are interested in

To be considered, land or property must:

be located within Ards and North Down Borough Council area.
demonstrate ownership, legal control, or a credible ability to influence delivery.
be suitable for development or adaptation for economic use.
have, or be capable of securing, access to utilities, broadband and road infrastructure.
be free from restrictions that would prevent economic use.

The Council welcomes Expressions of Interest from private sector developers, investors, and asset owners, including proposals based on partnership or mixed delivery models. Flexible or non-traditional approaches are encouraged where these help unlock sites and support timely delivery.

What a good response might cover

Strong Expressions of Interest will demonstrate:

a clear contribution to addressing the shortage of business accommodation.
a realistic and deliverable approach to creating or improving business space.
a strong focus on tradeable services and/or productivity growth.
clear, realistic steps to delivery, including planning, funding, and key milestones.
alignment with the Local Economic Partnership (LEP) Action Plan and longer-term economic growth objectives.

Please respond in writing, with no more than three A4 pages to lep@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk by 12noon on 17th June 2026.

Following review of Expressions of Interest, Council will confirm next steps and an indicative start date, subject to the level of interest received.

Responses will be treated in confidence and used by Council officers to inform future planning. The Council may follow up with respondents to discuss their proposal in more detail.