Belfast Harbour is to push ahead with the construction of a new 50,000 square foot logistics warehouse to accommodate the steady growth in roll-on, roll-off ferry traffic.
Belfast City Council this week granted the harbour planning permission to plans which had been previously mooted by the harbour. The £9 million project on Westbank Road will provide both ambient and chilled warehousing capacity and will be equipped with 17 loading docks and 40 HGV (heavy goods vehicle) parking spaces.
Its position in the harbour estate is in close proximity to the port’s ferry terminal and is designed to service the burgeoning ‘ro-ro’ traffic moving through Belfast which is currently at an all-time high. That is expected to continue to grow with commitment from StenaLine which is launching a number of new routes from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
The harbour said it would also consider building additional warehousing capacity in the future.
“We are really pleased to see the new logistics warehouse receive planning permission as we believe the development will further cement Belfast Harbour’s place as NI’s key shipping and logistics hub,” Michael Robinson, Port Director at Belfast Harbour said. “The decision to proceed with this project at the heart of the Port was driven by both an increase in customer demand, and the desire from logistics and supply chain businesses to improve connectivity and increase sustainability through reduced mileage.
“The warehouse will not only provide much needed new capacity in the sector but will also create jobs locally and support Belfast Harbour’s position as a world leading regional port and key economic hub for the region.”
