In June 2023 London-based Matthew Lloyd Architects were announced, from a shortlist of 11 entrants from across the globe, as the winners of the Take Back the City Urban Design Competition sponsored by the Oak Foundation.

The competition’s designs envisioned approaches to transforming the 13 hectares Mackie’s site into an sustainable community capable of setting a precedent for residential developments across Belfast which contribute positively to both the housing and climate crises.

The next phase of the project is consolidating widespread public support for the development, enhancing the Take Back the City coalition to include landowners, developers and financiers and securing political support to rezone the Mackie’s site to faciltate housing. You can support the campaign by emailing party leaders and council officials calling for the rezoning of the Mackie’s site.

In September 2023, Matthew Lloyd Architects reviewed their plans and presented them to stakeholders from across the city. The full version of the presentation can be viewed here. Below is a snapshot of the exciting plans with a short narrative provided by Matthew Lloyd Architects:

“A post-WW2 map of the original Mackies factory which was knocked down in the late 1990s, leaving the site vacant.”

“The huge site today is completely fenced-off, with no public access. A road was built on site around 2005 to service potential industrial units which never happened.”

“It’s important that we fully understand who owns what pieces of land across the Mackies site. We must start conversations with the landowners to ensure they buy into these proposals.”

“In 2023 the new Greenway cycle route and public park was finished by Belfast City Council. This has compelled us to move our attention to the development of the Mackies site itself. The Greenway is now an established part of the site and should become very much part of the whole proposal.”

“This was our competition winning scheme designed in 2022.”

“Using the existing road on the Mackies site as a starting point, we have established a network of routes from East-West and from North-South as a base for our masterplan. We have retained the Mackies road for reasons of logical sustainability.”

“Out of necessity, we have re-designed the masterplan, keeping the Greenway and developing a layout where we can rationally place new housing blocks. However, the majority of the site is currently zoned for industrial use.”

“Our top priority is to apply to Belfast City Council to re-zone the whole site for Mixed Use development. In this way we can create a scheme that retains employment use but also allows the development of new homes.”

“We have started designing individual blocks so as to make a Pre-Application to Belfast City Council for the re-zoning of the site.”

“We are looking at the best examples of Mixed use development throughout the UK and beyond, to show everyone the real potential we can achieve here.”

“This is our vision looking from above of what we can achieve here at Mackies; an exciting vision of unique place where people can live, work and play. The project intends to address all key issues that affect everyone, including climate change; cost of living crisis transport; mixed communities; fantastic homes; and a place for people to work in the most creative way.”