Bangor Waterfront Development will receive £40 million in funding as part of the Belfast Region City Deal.

Ards and North Down Borough Council welcomed the news a year after the UK and NI Executive Ministers signed the first-ever City Deal for Northern Ireland in December 2021. 

The Belfast Region City Deal unlocks £1 billion of co-investment that will deliver more than 20 highly ambitious projects and programmes, create up to 20,000 new jobs and make the region a global investment destination over the next decade.  It represents a new way of working between central and local government and regional partners.

Bangor Marina and surrounding area Photo: Jonathan MacDonald

The Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment represents an investment of about £73 million in a two mile stretch of the coastline of what has now City status. It will connect the city to the sea through a range of sustainable, world-class visitor and leisure attractions and experiences. With £40 million funding now secured, work can begin to deliver this ambitious 10-year plan, regenerating existing assets, including Bangor’s Five Gold Anchor Marina, the popular family attraction, Pickie Fun Park, as well as significant development and improvement of public spaces. In 2018 local stakeholders agreed a vision for Bangor to make it a destination of choice to live, work, study and invest in.

There are also plans in Phase 2 to develop an international watersports facility at a new-look Ballyholme Yacht Club and Watersports Centre. 

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Karen Douglas Photo: Gary McCormick

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Karen Douglas, said: “This is a significant milestone to an exciting new future for the City of Bangor. As the programme of works rolls out over the next 10 years, this redevelopment of the waterfront will bring benefits and opportunities to residents, businesses, and to the wider Borough as a whole. I am very much looking forward to seeing Bangor firmly back on the map as a place to live, work and visit.”

Coastal path from Skippingstone Beach to Bangor Marina with yacht masts visible in the background Photo: Jonathan MacDonald

Gerard Murray, Director of the Department for Communities’ Regional Development Office said; “With the recent planning approval for the regeneration of Queen’s Parade by Bangor Marine, this really is an exciting time for the City. Bangor’s residents and visitors can look forward to a revitalised Waterfront reconnecting the city to its marine heritage and re-establishing Bangor as one of our premier tourism and leisure destinations.”