Windsor House to be converted into luxury apartments

[Paul Clerkin]

Flats plan for tallest building
Windsor House
Windsor House has been bought for £30m
One of Ireland's tallest buildings is to be converted into luxury apartments.

Windsor House on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre stands at 80m high and has been bought by County Cavan building company P Elliot for £30m.

The 23-storey block is currently used as government offices and houses the Parades Commission, the British-Irish Joint Secretariat and the European Commission.

However, planning permission will have to be obtained before the block can be transformed into a residential development.

University of Ulster housing expert Paddy Gray said such city centre redevelopments were growing in popularity across the UK.

"Certainly you will find that plenty of people want to live in the city centre as Belfast grows in popularity," he said.

"You will find that those apartments in the city business district will hold their prices very well, it is a very good location and there is obviously demand for people to live in the city centre.

"There is more confidence coming into Belfast now and people would be willing to pay very high prices to live in the city centre and avoid commuting."

[jdivision]

Because the State has the office market largely to itself in Belfast, returns from the sector are disastrous. This is going to be an increasing trend in the city in the coming years.

[PVC King]

This sounds like a very interesting project and as you say the problematic office market will with a a 56% increase in residential prices last year no doubt underpin the values of £1m plus for the upper floors quoted as being realistic by one Belfast agent this morning.

Recladding really is the most sustainable development of all.

[aj]

my dad worked in on the top floor for a few years in the early nineties and took me up there a few times... the views over belfast lough and the mountains are pretty spectecular!!

[Fearg]

And what makes the view up there even better, is that its pretty much the only place in Belfast where your view is not spoiled by Windsor House!! I can see it from where I am sitting now, the green mesh down one side (which has been there for years) certainly does nothing to improve the look of it.

[Maxwiggan]

Windsor House is not one of the tallest buildings in Ireland it IS the tallest building in Ireland and has been since its construction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_House

[Maxwiggan]

The Elysian tower is 71 metres to the top floor, making it the tallest storeyed building in the Republic of Ireland.

[Maxwiggan]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_and_structures_in_Ireland

Irelands rtallest structure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strabane_transmitting_station