Deloitte to turn Belfast space into café
Belfast’s local councillors have approved plans for Deloitte to turn part of its space in the city into a café. Deloitte refurbished the development two years ago, but has been unable to find a new tenant to take up residence in it.
The long-term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on workplace cultures has transformed the relationship of many people with their office space. During lockdown, workers in several industries found they could be just as productive from home as in the office, and so the average number of days spent working in shared spaces has fallen.
Amid this, a growing number of businesses have weighed up whether they really need the expense of an office at all. As a result, many office landlords have been left worried about what to do with their empty spaces, which might have been a guaranteed cash-cow before the pandemic, but have become a burden after.
Deloitte’s office complex in Belfast looks to have become a reflection of these trends. Located on Bedford Street, next to the Grand Central Hotel, Deloitte refurbished the Ewart building in 2022. The £85 million office development was completed by McAleer and Rushe in 2022 – but has since been unoccupied.
Deloitte remains the largest tenant of the 210,000 square foot office development, occupying five floors. At the same time, it has reportedly put out extensive marketing for the vacant lot – but no tenant has been found. So, the Big Four firm has decided to get creative.
A document submitted to the council by Deloitte's planning consultant stated, “The unit has remained vacant since April 2022. The reasoning behind this is that market interest for office accommodation within Belfast city centre has lessened since the outbreak of Covid-19. A large bulk of office employees that once worked from offices in the city centre choose to work from home now instead. It is therefore necessary for vacant office developments to find a suitable alternative use, which in this case is for a café.”
Belfast City Council formally granted planning approval for Deloitte’s plans at the start of September 2024. Deloitte has since noted the new café will primarily serve reheated soup, sausage rolls and pastries, while the kitchen will be used to make sandwiches – although it is unclear whether it will open its offering to the general public, or only cater to staff in the building.
The new café will be based at the listed former 19th century linen warehouse on Bedford Street, which is connected by a link bridge to the 17-storey high-rise development behind.
If it is the case that the café is serving the public, it will face some illustrious competition nearby. The news comes just a year after popular restaurant Flame relocated its restaurant on Howard Street to a new 120-seater space on the ground level of the Ewart office tower.
