Developers Bangor Marine, a partnership between Karl Group and Farrans, has confirmed that work on the major public realm project Marine Gardens, remains on track to start before the end of October following an extensive period of successful collaboration with Ards and North Down Borough Council and the Department for Communities.
Marine Gardens will cover 5.25 acres and will include a new play park, two pavilions, kiosks with food and beverage offerings, an events space and associated landscaping. Designed to strengthen the cohesion of the overall scheme, Marine Gardens will provide an inviting new energy and vibrancy to the city’s waterfront destination.
Marine Gardens, which forms part of the Queen’s Parade regeneration project, secured UK ‘Local Government Funding’ (previously known as Levelling Up Funding) with Bangor Marine providing private funding of £2m for this public realm element. When the entire project has completed, the Queen’s Parade development will include new homes, a hotel, offices, a market plaza, local retail, cafes and restaurants.
In advance of work beginning, Farrans’ stakeholder and social value team will be present in the area speaking to local businesses, residents, retailers, and government representatives to ensure all are kept appraised of scheduled activity.
Aran Blackbourne of Bangor Marine said:
“After many years of hard work, we are delighted to be mobilising our team to get works underway and take another step closer to starting on site.”
“We are at an exciting stage of the project as we work quickly to finalise all the remaining planning conditions, licences and agreements. We are very hopeful that these can be delivered on time. We will be engaging with the local community to ensure minimal disruption during construction and will work closely with the Council to provide regular updates as we progress with the works.”
“We have always said that we want to create a place for the people of Bangor to feel proud of, and that will put the heart back into Queen’s Parade, and today, we are another step closer to achieving that vision. We thank you for your patience and continued support as we work hard to bring this exciting project to life.”