Bywater Properties Belfast Placemaking Board

Image credits: Bywater Properties

Bywater Properties, a small private developer headquartered in Southern England, has taken an innovative approach to building local trust and making decisions in central Belfast, where it is regenerating a series of terraces alongside the development of a major scheme.

Bywater's leadership team brought together six local community, business and social enterprise leaders to form a 'Placemaking Group'. Their role is to inform decisions around the tenant mix in the terraces, in addition to identifying opportunities to maximise social value and local community participation in the regeneration process.

Bywater has committed to bringing vacant shops and unused upper floors back into use. They have recently launched The Butcher's Building, a mini 'department store' with three floors given over to local makers and artisans. The rent free model (with occupiers covering basic costs such as electricity and insurance) requires a commitment from the businesses to contribute to a community engagement and events programme.

"The Placemaking Group members understand the local context and are well networked in Belfast, so are better placed than us to make decisions about local occupier and community needs.

It’s possible for us to take a low rent on the shops because they’re cross-subsidised by the residential above. It makes sense from a business perspective – by bringing vibrancy and footfall to the area, the residential property has a higher financial yield."

— Theo Michell, Principal, Bywater Properties