Five firms specialising in urban regeneration were yesterday shortlisted to create concept plans for the development of former Crumlin Road jail and adjoining Girdwood army barracks in north Belfast.
Four of the firms are London-based and the fifth is from Rotterdam. They will now compete for the job of preparing a master plan for the redevelopment of the site.
They have been given just eight weeks to come up with the concept of what each proposes for the sites, which total 27 acres. Proposals to turn the old Crumlin Road courthouse opposite the prison into a luxury hotel were recently detailed by a local developer.
The five consultancies shortlisted from 11 who expressed an interest are: Broadway Malyan Ltd, Building Design Partnership Ltd, EDAW Plc and Llewelyn Davies Yeang, all of London, and KCAP of Rotterdam.
The concept plans will form part of a public exhibition to keep local communities informed and to receive their views before a final decision on which plan to proceed with is made.