Work has begun on the Queen’s Parade development project in Bangor.
Once completed the £70m development will include, new homes, a hotel, offices, a market plaza, retail, cafes and restaurants.
The seafront site in County Down has been derelict for almost 30 years and has faced years of planning delays.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said he was “pleased” to see work finally getting underway.
“This is a hugely complex project which will be transformational for Bangor and the wider community”, he added.
“I know that a huge amount of work is continuing behind the scenes to progress the project at pace.”
Initial work will include the installation of site cabins on the Marine Gardens site.
Given the proximity to the upcoming holiday period, the council and Bangor Marine have worked to ensure that the Marine Gardens car park will remain open.
The erection of hoardings and the construction of phase 1, the public realm scheme, are expected to commence over the summer.
Bangor Marine will be issuing a more detailed timeline for their proposals in the coming weeks.
