Business

Fanum House student scheme will involve complete demolition of two buildings

South Bank Square’s proposal involves 610 student units in a development reaching 17 storeys

Artistic impressions of South Bank Square's 'The Grattan' development, which proposes 610 student units on the site of Fanum House on Belfast's Great Victoria Street.
Artistic impressions of South Bank Square's 'The Grattan' development, which proposes 610 student units on the site of Fanum House on Belfast's Great Victoria Street.
By Ryan McAleer

The developer behind plans to redevelop the site of Belfast’s Fanum House into a major new student accommodation scheme, has confirmed the proposal will involve the demolition of two existing buildings on the site.

Maghera-based South Bank Square (SBS) has proposed 610 units in a three tiered development on Great Victoria Street, that would reach 17 storeys (52 metres) at its highest point.

The company, which is owned by the Gillan family, say the development would represent an investment in the region of £55 million, and help address the dereliction of an area once known Belfast’s ‘Golden Mile’.

SBS, which is also progressing major residential schemes in Derry and Omagh, bought the Four Corners Premier Inn Hotel in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter during 2022 for £12.2 million.

A public consultation document for company’s student scheme has now gone live, confirming that the plans involve the complete demolition of both Fanum House and the more modern Norwood House on Great Victoria Street.

Built in 1965, the 11-storey brutalist Fanum House was previously the Belfast-base for both RTÉ and The Irish Times.

Well-known Irish Times columnist Frank McNally, who once worked from the office tower, recently labelled it “the ugliest building in Belfast”.

Image of red brick office building from outside.
Norwood House on Great Victoria Street, which would be demolished to make way for student accomodation.

SBS acquired the Fanum House site in 2011 in a deal overseen by the Republic’s National Asset Management Agency (Nama).

The developer originally proposed two hotels and went on to build the ETAP Hotel on the Dublin Road.

SBS later sold the hotel to CBRE’s investment arm in 2015 for £6.6m.

The second hotel, proposed as a 15 storey Novotel, did not progress.

However, the public consultation document states the planning permission was “enacted” in 2012, meaning it is “protected” according to the developer.

Image of city skyscape taken from height.
Visual produced by South Bank Square showing how 'The Grattan' student scheme would look in the context of other major developments in the area. (Ryan)

SBS later proposed ‘The Grattan’, comprising 210 build-to-rent apartments on the site, before turning to the latest plan for student housing.

The outline plans include 465 ‘cluster bedrooms’, 150 studios, a gym, coffee shop and landscaped roof terraces.

Details of the proposal can be viewed online at thegrattanconsultation.com.