History of the site…
The large 16 acre site located on the east side of the Lagan was once home to Sirocco Ropeworks which at one point was the largest rope manufacturer in the world. In 1881 Samuel Davidson, one of the founding partners of Howden sets up his business from the Bridge End site eventually creating Howden Sirocco. Production of fans and heat exchangers began and a close working relationship evolved with Harland & Wolff on the fitting out of ships. However, in 1999 production was moved overseas and the site became derelict.

Industry moves aside for developers… 
Dunloe Ewart (Ewart Properties) purchased the 16 acre site from Howden Sirocco in 2000 for £23m. With almost 1,000sq ft of frontage onto the Lagan the site had significant investor appeal and demolition soon got under way. Complete demolition of all of the site including the largest factory was completed in 2006. Ewarts planned to develop 129,000 sq ft of offices, 98 flats, a 90,000 sq ft superstore and 50,000 sq ft of additional retail space.

ASDA Superstore… 
Asda is planning its first ‘supercentre’ in Northern Ireland for the Sirocco site. Following Morrison’s takeover of Safeway, the development of the Sirocco site was postponed although demolition on the site continued. Asda confirmed it was considering the brownfield site for a large store, where more than half the floor space will be dedicated to selling non-food items.

Ewart Properties sell Sirocco site… 
In Autumn 2006 Ewart Properties sold the Sirocco site with planning permission for a residential scheme to the Carvill Group for £40m. The price per acre in this deal set a record for Northern Ireland even though planning had only been secured for a residential scheme on 3 acres of the 16 acre site and permission had not yet been decided for the ASDA superstore. In October 2006 Llewelyn Davies Yeang were appointed to masterplan the site on behalf of the Carvill Group.

A new direction for the Sirocco site… Sirocco Quays… 
In September 2007 the Carvill Group submitted their plans for the Sirocco site. Whilst Ewarts plan provided for large areas of surface car parking as seen in image 1 below the new plans addressed planners concerns and adopted a revised scheme which resembled more of an extension to the city centre. The new scheme includes 2,400 apartments and 150,000 sq ft for retail and employment uses and a new pedestrian bridge linking the site to Lanyon Place.

The masterplan will comprise ten phases which it is hoped will be finished by 2019. The first phase will incorporate an 80,000 sq ft supermarket underneath 400 apartments on the eastern edge of the site and is due to start in 2009. Turley Associates are acting as planning consultants for the Carvill Group.

Future phases will add to the feel of the site, creating a new area of the city, much like Lanyon Place achieved on the other side of the river. Planned developments include a group of five tall buildings, one of which will be 30 storeys and developing a hotel on the site.

Further changes to the site include the direction the supermarket entrance will face, a consideration that Carvill Group believe is vital in reducing the risk of a community feeling excluded from the scheme. Previously the door faced onto the Short Strand which may be perceived as more welcoming to one community than another. Therefore the developer has located the entrance on the main square hopefully achieving a neutrality that the city centre has for the most part always enjoyed and therefore achieving the development goal of creating an extension to the city centre.

·   2,400 Apartments (175,600sq. m.)
·   4* Hotel (5,000sq. m.)
·   Supermarket & further retail space (15,500sq. m.)
·   Commercial space (10,600sq. m.)
·   Leisure facilities (430sq. m.)
·   Care home (2,000sq. m.)
·   Doctors surgery
·   Public open spaces
·   1,770 Basement parking spaces 


Archaeology… 
The Department of the Environment began investigating the site soon after the change of ownership. Archaeological digs took up much of 2008 and continued into 2009.

Sirocco Quays Planning Applications… 
In May 2008 the Carvill group submitted three planning applications which relate to three areas within the overall Sirocco Quays site…

2008-05-02 0829/F 
386 apartments within eight blocks, residents gym, supermarket, one retail unit, function room, landscaped private space, landscaped public space and 411 basement parking spaces. This element of the development will measure 9,063 sq.m. and will be located on a 4.10 ha. site.

2008-05-02 0830/F
294 apartments, four office units, one retail unit, 2,000sq. m. care home, landscaped private space, landscaped public space and 187 basement parking spaces. This element of the development will measure 2,172 sq.m. and will be located on a 3.75 ha. site.

2008-05-02 0832/F 
253 apartments, two office units, four retail units, landscaped private space, landscaped public space and 190 basement parking spaces. This element of the development will measure 2,285sq.m. and will be located on a 3.70 ha. site.

International hotel chain… 
In June (2008) it was revealed that an international hotel chain was being lined up for the new sirocco development.

Marketing Suite… 
In February 2009 work began on the construction of the Sirocco Quays Marketing Suite which will contain temporary show apartments for the scheme.   

Masterplan: RE:NEW Urban Studio
Masterplan: Tribal
Planning Consultant: Turley Associates
Consulting Engineer: RPS Consulting
Structural Engineer: Taylor & Boyd
M & E Engineer: Beattie Flanigan
Environmental Engineer: Corvus Consulting
Landscape Consultant: Camlin Lonsdale
Archaeologist: Gahan & Long