Belfast City Quay Gardens

City Quays Gardens: A landmark in Belfast’s waterfront regeneration

Belfast Harbour Commissioners (BHC) are regenerating Belfast’s historic docklands into a vibrant, mixed-use quarter along the city’s iconic waterfront. Once the heart of Belfast’s shipbuilding industry, home to the world-renowned Harland & Wolff shipyard and the construction of the RMS Titanic, the docklands have long represented the city’s rich maritime heritage. Now, through a significant multi-million-pound investment, the area is being reimagined as a dynamic destination for business, living, and leisure through strategic urban regeneration.

At the forefront of this transformation is the City Quays development, which revitalises the waterfront with commercial offices, retail spaces, hotels, and residential accommodations. 

At the heart of Belfast’s dynamic new waterfront quarter lies City Quays Gardens, a bold, innovative project designed by Gillespies.

Reviving Belfast’s historic docklands through landscape architecture

Once a car park beside the historic Harbour Offices, this 0.8-hectare public space has been transformed through high-quality landscape architecture into a vibrant, biodiverse and climate-resilient urban garden at the heart of Belfast’s waterfront regeneration.

The gardens feature lush green areas and climate-resilient planting, amphitheatre-style event lawns for social gatherings and community events, and outdoor workspaces equipped with public 5G Wi-Fi, offering a lively shared environment for all.

City Quays Garden's playful and inviting character is enhanced by sculptural seating, a swinging bench, striking artwork and the illuminated ‘Gateway Nest’ art installation, all contributing to a rich and immersive visitor experience. At night, interactive landscape lighting improves wayfinding and safety while reinforcing the site's identity. 

Sustainable planting and climate-resilient landscape design

The garden’s planting strategy is ecologically rich and biodiverse, featuring 89 new trees and integrated rain gardens with seasonal, climate-resilient planting that supports biodiversity and manages stormwater on-site. Surface water is collected and reused for irrigation, reducing environmental impact and supporting the site's long-term sustainability goals. More than 50% of the paving is made from reclaimed granite cobbles, chosen for their durability, low carbon footprint, and distinctive heritage character.

The project has achieved One Planet Living recognition, making City Quays Gardens the first public space in Northern Ireland to reach this globally recognised benchmark for sustainable landscape architecture and environmental performance.