BELFAST City Council has formally purchased the city’s historic Assembly Rooms.
The local authority previously agreed to acquire the site and its adjoining lands and buildings from owners Castlebrooke Investments, as part of its “continued focus to drive forward the regeneration of the city centre”.
The Grade B1 listed heritage building, which is located on the corner of North Street and Waring Street, dates back to 1769.
It is one of the city’s most prominent and architecturally important public buildings, however it has been vacant since 2000.
Belfast’s Assembly Rooms have been vacant since 2000Traditionally the rooms offered a gathering place for political discourse, business, and entertainment in Northern Ireland’s largest city.
Over the years they hosted numerous significant events, including the 1786 defeat of a proposal to establish a Belfast-based slave trading company and the 1792 Belfast Harp Festival.
“The Assembly Rooms is one of Belfast’s most historic assets, so this is both a significant and a symbolic purchase for council,” Councillor Natasha Brennan, Chair of Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee said.
“Regenerating this area of the city centre is a key focus for us, and our acquisition of The Assembly Rooms and neighbouring properties gives us an important opportunity to breathe new life and vibrancy into it,” she added.