Kings Hall Life Sciences Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland

An opportunity to invest in the regeneration of Kings Hall Life Sciences Park. This project is a significant economic driver in the life sciences sector and it's already attracted government funding.

This is a £100 million proposition within South Belfast, within the neighbourhood of Queens University, an establishment known for its focus on research.

The campus is home to the Cancer Research Institute, Centre for Neuroscience Studies and the Cardiac, Circulation and Respiratory Group for Northern Ireland.

Location:

Belfast

Investment type:

Capital investment - real estate

Sector:

(Greener buildings, Healthcare and life sciences, Real estate, Science & innovation)

Project promoter:

KH Developments Ltd

Scale:

£100 million GDV

Planning status:

Phase 2 Planning obtained; outline for Phase 3

Time to Final Investment Decision (FID):

0-6 months

Simon Sweetinburgh

Senior Investment Specialist

Contact the opportunity lead

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Sector and market opportunity

The UK has a unique eco-system in the life sciences and health innovation spaces. This project has completed Phase 1 of construction and is now seeking investment towards 2 future phases, totalling 142,500 square feet. The refurbishment of the iconic Kings Hall building has secured detailed planning for 74,500 square feet of development.

There’s strong interest in the life sciences sector in Northern Ireland, an area that’s proven to be resilient and is expected to experience healthy growth over time.

Location

Northern Ireland is unique because it still has tariff-free access to both the UK and European Union.

The opportunity is in Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital city. It’s set in the neighbourhood of Queens University, a Russell Group establishment with impressive research and academic credentials. It is also close to the new Ulster University Belfast, and within four miles of six hospitals.

Connectivity

The site is served by excellent infrastructure.

Kings Hall Life Sciences Park is a 5-minute walk from the nearest train station. By car, the heart of Belfast city centre is just 10 minutes away, Belfast City Airport is a 20-minute drive and Dublin city centre is under 2 hours.

Belfast also has the highest availability of superfast broadband in the UK and the fastest direct broadband link from Europe to North America.

Local talent and skills

Belfast is an attractive business environment, a place that should provide demand for the life sciences sector, as well as a vibrant labour talent pool.

About 61% of all jobs in Northern Ireland are in Belfast. The country has a young and vibrant population, with 53% of the population aged under 40.

Belfast also has 2 two hospitals, each with considerable R&D opportunities.

Already, over 70% of companies choose to reinvest in Northern Ireland and it’s already home to more than 1,100 international investors, including Allstate, Citi, Seagate, Spirit Aerosystems, and FinTrU.

Region Spotlight
Northern Ireland

It is an integral, uniquely positioned part of the UK and is the ideal location to grow your company. Its combination of a business-friendly environment, highly skilled workforce, quality skills pipeline, excellent infrastructure, and unique market access offer a compelling proposition for your business. Over 1,300 international companies across a range of sectors are based in Northern Ireland (NISRA, 2023). The region has a long-standing history of international trade performance, hosts globally recognised universities and offers investors unfettered access to both the UK and European Union markets.

View all investment opportunities in Northern Ireland

Research and expertise

There are 2 two world-leading universities in Belfast; over 73% of their research is deemed world leading or internationally excellent.

The project has already attracted funding from the public sector through the Northern Ireland Investment Fund. This public funding helps to de-risk the investment opportunity by enabling provision of site wide infrastructure.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) highlights

With its focus on life sciences, this project will greatly contribute to the health and wellness industry in Northern Ireland.

The project is also targeting a BREEAM rating of excellent and an EPC rating of A.

Promoters and partnerships

KH Developments Ltd is a well-known specialist real estate investor that has a £2 billion portfolio and interests in 80 health and care related properties across the UK.

Benmore Healthcare Developments is a locally-based development company and part of the Benmore Group, which has wide multi-sector experience, especially in Northern Ireland.

CBRE NI are the project promoter’s adviser on real estate matters and Belfast City Council is the local planning authority.

Local and national government support

The project has already secured funding from the Northern Ireland Investment Fund, launched to provide finance for commercial property, regeneration and low carbon projects in Northern Ireland.

This source of funding helped to deliver enabling infrastructure for this project.

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