September 02, 2005
By David Gordon, Belfast Telegraph
A new look for Belfast's Ormeau bakery was unwrapped today, with the developer vowing to safeguard the famous building's key features. The 19th century red-brick property is the subject of a £25m scheme, involving the creation of 156 apartments and ground-floor shop units.A computer image of the redevelopment was today made public.The bakery's frontage is being retained, although its highest floors will be more modern looking with large windows and white surrounds.
Developer Barry Gilligan, of Big Picture, said: "The Ormeau Bakery is one of Belfast's great industrial landmarks and we understand that we were selected to develop it, at least in part, because we wanted to retain and restore its most valuable architectural assets."The building does not have listed status but we will be treating it as if it does and we are confident that the new development of apartments and retail units will usher in a brilliant new phase in the building's history."
A planning application for the redevelopment was submitted earlier in the summer.Mr Gilligan, one of Northern Ireland's leading property developers, said the project will "add significantly to the ongoing regeneration of this part of the Ormeau Road".He said the ground floor would include 17,000 sq ft of retail use and this would "create significant employment opportunities".
"We are also proposing that the upper levels will contain 156 one and two bedroomed apartments with parking contained within the building at ground floor level behind the shops," Mr Gilligan added.
"Many of the special architectural features such as the stunning entrance hall and the traditional Ormeau clock will be retained and a new feature will be a landscaped courtyard and garden in the middle of the scheme."
The development will be known as "The Bakery" and has been designed by the Robinson Patterson Partnership.
