Belfast Crane Survey 2025
Belfast has seen continued development with student accommodation, hotels, and the opening of the Grand Central Station. Like other cities, it has seen limited office development. Residential development is anchored in one large development due to complete in 2026, with many watching to see if this will trigger new momentum.
Key findings
The Belfast Crane Survey recorded 17 developments across the city centre during 2024 with seven completions and five new starts. This represents the lowest level of active developments and new starts in the city centre since the Belfast Crane Survey was first published in 2016.
Despite limited activity, insights from the data illuminate some significant trends, opportunities and challenges. Of the five new starts, three were student accommodation developments, which continues to be a particularly active sector, highlighting the importance of higher education to the city. Other completions include the Grand Central Station, the largest integrated transport hub on the island of Ireland. Meanwhile, activity on-site at Loft Lines represents the largest residential development recorded since the survey began.
below the average of nine since Belfast Crane Survey started
completed and 1,224 student bedspaces under construction
started on-site, below the Belfast Crane Survey average of over three annually
delivering 86 homes. 957 homes under construction.
Our thinking
Analysis 2
Adding vibrancy to complement retail and office bedrocks
Efforts to evolve the city centre are working, but the challenges of ensuring a vibrant and animated city centre remain, not least given societal changes in shopping habits, alongside hybrid working patterns.
Analysis 3
The single most important thing
While the city has a growing transient visitor and temporary student population, growing the permanent city centre residential population is the “single most important strategy for comprehensive success.”
Data in detail
Methodology
