A major redevelopment scheme for a long-neglected site beside St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast is moving forward with a new focus on housing. Castlebrooke Investments has filed a pre-application planning notice proposing 1,000 homes and two hotels, dropping the Tribeca name that had divided opinion.

The company has owned the site since 2016 but made little progress. The plan includes eight residential blocks and two hotels, along with new streets, alleyways, and public spaces to better connect the area to the wider city centre. Five listed buildings are on the site, four of which will be refurbished. The North Street Arcade, which is in poor condition, will have its two entrance points retained and a new thoroughfare created.

Gerry Hughes, the project lead appointed by Castlebrooke, said the previous Tribeca scheme was seen as a commercial brand, but the new approach emphasises the historic character of the city. He stated that the company is determined to address the disrepair that existed before its ownership. A new street network and a revitalised Writers' Square are also part of the vision, though the square's use has been a point of contention with the Department for Communities, which owns it.

Plans to redevelop the area date back to 2006, when a retail-led Royal Exchange scheme was proposed but stalled during the property crash. Castlebrooke acquired the site in 2016 and gained planning permission for an office-led scheme in 2020, but the shift to remote work made that plan unviable. Last year, the company sold several properties, including the historic Assembly Rooms, to Belfast City Council for around £3m.

A public consultation will be held on 30 June and 1 July at the Masonic Hall on Rosemary Street. A full planning application is expected in the autumn.