Ann Street project is '˜enormously significant'

Future plans for the key gateway site to Dungannon town centre include a mixed development of retail, commercial, office and leisure uses, which will link the west of the town to the existing core retail and business area.

Progress has been welcomed by Chair of the Council, Councillor Kim Ashton: “This project is enormously significant for Dungannon and will bring substantial investment, with employment at both construction stage and when the development is operational, rejuvenating an area which has lain derelict from more than 30 years.

“We are now working towards the signing of the contract, at which point we can all look forward to realising one of the most commercially exciting developments in Mid Ulster of recent times.”

The Council appointed a preferred bidder for the development of the Ann Street site in July 2017 and work has been on-going in the intervening period to move the bid to formal contract.

Around this time last year, the Council announced it was releasing a 4.12 acre site at Ann Street for development.

The area was long considered a ‘unique gateway site’ in the town centre due to its links to the premier retail core Market Square and Scotch Street via Irish Street, the land has been vacant for a number of years.

The Ann Street site, which is bounded by Greers Road to the east and Ann Street to the south, provides an exciting opportunity to deliver a high quality, imaginative and sustainable mixed use development, ideally with retail, commercial, office, leisure and residential uses.

Speaking at last year, Lloyd Hannigan of Lisney, the selling agent appointed, said: “The property represents a comprehensive redevelopment/regeneration opportunity, the scale of which is uncommon in a town’s commercial core.”