From abandoned buildings to 'vibrant hubs' - the businesses pumping life into city's arterial routes

Businesses have welcomed a further boost to help turn abandoned buildings in Belfast into vibrant hubs.

Belfast City Council announced earlier this week it had secured an extra £700,000 to bring its Vacant to Vibrant Citywide back for another round.

The owner of a spin cycle studio coming to King's Square in East Belfast said investing into Belfast's arterial routes is "really important."

Claire Reynolds believes opening a business along one of those routes is an advantage.

Her business, Riot Cycle, was successful in its application for funding in the first round of the scheme.

"We have seen many high streets fall away, which is such a shame".

In October, BBC News NI delved into why vacant buildings are becoming regular fixtures on our high streets in recent years.

For Claire, she believes parking can be an issue for those going to the gym

"That's harder and harder to find the city centre," she said.

There's also more of a sense of community.

"There are lots of families and couples moving in. There's some fantastic surrounding businesses close by," she added.

Hoping to open early in the new year, the funding went towards lighting, spin bikes and the gym flooring.

"We have used that really for the spin studio itself. It has a full lighting set in there now, so it's really feels like you're walking into a club or warehouse rave," she said.

The Vacant to Vibrant scheme has been running in the city centre since July 2022, offering £1m to rejuvenate vacant spaces.

Some 48 projects were approved for funding in which created 139 direct employment opportunities.

The scheme was later extended to cover areas outside the city centre, offering just over £500,000 in funding.

The first round of citywide funding, which closed in July, resulted in 24 approved applications.

The announcement earlier this week of an additional £700,000 takes the total investment into revitalising spaces outside of the city centre boundary close to £1.2 million.

Nestled on the ground level of the Curzon Building on Ormeau Road, Marty Duggan opened Charlie's Pizza back in May.

His business also benefited from the first round of the scheme.

"That money ended up becoming hugely important to us. It just gave us that extra bit of liquidity that we needed," he said.

Prior to opening the restaurant, the unit lay empty for close to four years.

"I personally think that we breathe a bit of life into this building now," Marty said.

He believes the city centre has become unrealistic for smaller businesses.

"It is probably a bit inaccessible for businesses of my size," he said.

"If you look at where people live, very few people actually live in the city centre. Most people want to be living along those arterial lines that supply the city centres."

Charlie's currently employs about 15 people and is already an established part of the local community.

"We are queued out the door most nights, certainly over the summer. Over the winter it's been really good as well."

The latest round of funding is being backed by £500,000 from the Department for Communities and £200,000 from the Belfast Council.

Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Tracy Kelly has described both schemes as a "resounding success".

"Together, they've resulted in 72 properties being refurbished so far, and 25 of those are historic buildings.

"The funding has generated an estimated £4.4m rates income and created 220 direct employment opportunities to date," she said.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said his department remains "firmly committed" to revitalising Belfast's abandoned buildings.

"This initiative will continue to breathe new life into vacant properties across Belfast, support local businesses, create jobs, and make a lasting positive impact on neighbourhoods across the city," he said.

Clare Guinness, chief executive of Belfast Chamber told BBC News NI that it has been "a good scheme" for Belfast but more needs to be done.

"Vacancy in general is a problem in the city. It is a very small scheme versus the size and the scale of the problem [of vacant buildings]" she said.

There are three levels of capital grants available - up to £2,500, up to £15,000 and up to £25,000.

If a grant application is successful, the applicant must contribute a minimum of 10% match funding.

Applications are now open for small businesses, property owners, arts organisations, charities and social economy businesses.

The Vacant to Vibrant scheme has two funding pots, city centre funding (which is now fully allocated) and citywide funding (beyond the city centre boundary) – now welcoming applications.