A CGI rendering of the projected Bedford Square development. Image: Deloitte
Deloitte has selected Bedford Street in Belfast as the location for its new Northern Ireland head office.
Deloitte is set to become the anchor tenant in McAleer & Rushe’s new development on Bedford Street in Belfast, it was announced today (14 January). The Bedford Square development is centred around the regeneration and refurbishment of the historic listed building, formerly known as the Ewart Building.
Deloitte creating new business hub
Staff currently present at Deloitte’s other offices in Belfast will all move to Bedford Square, which will be Deloitte’s largest UK office by headcount outside of London once completed.
Bedford Square is an £85m, 213,000 sq ft, Grade A office development project, which will accommodate more than 2,000 people once it is completed. Deloitte is set to take up to 100,000 sq ft of space in the new development, expecting to be fully moved in by 2021. A modern office building will be linked to the extended and refurbished Ewart Building.
A long selection process
Staff from core business areas such as audit, tax and consulting will occupy the new office, while a new Deloitte Digital and Greenhouse space is also set to be created.
Jackie Henry, senior partner at Deloitte in Belfast, said: “After a long selection process, we are delighted to be able to announce the choice of Bedford Square as our new home in Belfast.
“It is a symbol of Deloitte’s commitment to this city that we have chosen a development which will breathe life back into one of Belfast’s beautiful but neglected heritage buildings, contributing to the regeneration of the city centre while at the same time delivering an exciting and flexible, modern work environment for our increasingly diverse and connected workforce.”
Henry added that the company’s growing expertise in cloud, digital analytics, cybersecurity and a whole host of other digital business verticals meant that the company needed all of its experts under one roof. She added: “[It] will foster even greater collaboration between teams and enable us to create a campus environment that is ideally suited to the agile and augmented jobs of the future.”
A growing business centre
The company expects to have 1,000 staff in Belfast by 2022, with more than 400 supported through government-assisted apprenticeships.
Stephen Surphlis, property director in McAleer & Rushe, said: “Securing Deloitte’s commitment is a significant milestone in the delivery of this strategic development, which will bring further economic activity to the heart of the city and surrounding local businesses.
“We have already commenced works and, upon completion, the building will provide much-needed, Grade A office accommodation for international and indigenous companies within Belfast’s prime office district.”
