Bangor by the Sea

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Bangor, Northern Ireland:-
Reviving Bangor: Regeneration, Development, & Cultural Resurgence. Join us for a brighter future! 🌟 (formerly “Bangor.eu”)

The latest information about Bangor, Northern Ireland. Covering the Queens Parade redevelopment project, town centre investment, leisure, news and much more.

31/10/2026

𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑
Bangor’s new Marine Gardens plaza is now expected to be handed over to the Council on 11th November, following a problem with the electricity substation serving the site.

The handover was planned for 30th October, but councillors have been reassured there should still be enough time to prepare the space for its first Christmas celebrations.

Explaining the delay, Council director Brian Dorrian said parts of the substation installed by NIE were “not correct”. He told members that NIE had openly accepted responsibility and was working tirelessly to put things right.

The aim is to have the substation working by 6th November. Bangor Marine and the Council’s team would then carry out the final checks, with handover hoped for on 11 November.

Once the Council takes over the plaza, attention can turn to welcoming people into the new space. Mr Dorrian said public access should follow soon afterwards, with time allowed to install the new Christmas tree and make the other festive preparations.

There was welcome news about the facilities beside the plaza too. Councillors were told that the newly refurbished toilet block at the McKee Clock will also be ready for the Christmas event, providing a much-improved amenity for families and visitors enjoying the celebrations.

Councillor Alistair Cathcart welcomed the progress around the McKee Clock, recalling that during his time as mayor he had wondered whether work on the site would ever begin.

He also praised the Christmas plans, which are expected to include music and lights across several evenings, giving people more opportunities to come down and enjoy the atmosphere.

After watching the plaza take shape over the past year, many will be looking forward to that first stroll around it, with the Christmas celebrations offering a chance to gather and enjoy Bangor’s changing seafront together.

30/10/2026

𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄

A familiar favourite is getting a new name! Taste of Middle East is under new ownership and will soon welcome customers through its doors as 𝐘&𝐌 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥.

For those who have come to love this popular Bangor restaurant and takeaway, the new owners say the food customers enjoy will remain, with some new dishes joining the menu and a determination to make the quality even better.

The restaurant will be 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 as preparations take place, before reopening as Y&M Grill on 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝟐𝐩𝐦. After opening day, the usual opening time will be 11am.

And there is a tasty little reason to call in on the first day: 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 £𝟓!

Customers sitting in can also enjoy 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐩, a regular offering that will continue beyond opening day. A welcome wee warmer as the colder weather settles in.

BangorByTheSea extends a warm welcome to the new owners and wishes them every success with Y&M Grill. Whether it is already a favourite or somewhere you have been meaning to try, this could be the perfect excuse to pop in, say hello and give them a little Bangor support.

29/10/2026

𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐓:
𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐑?

Bangor’s former Royal Hotel and Windsor Bar are back on the market, having displayed “Sale Agreed” around six to eight weeks ago before subsequently disappearing from PropertyPal.

The Quay Street property has now been relisted with offers around £1 million invited, bringing one of Bangor’s most prominent waterfront development opportunities back into view.

Overlooking the marina, the site comes with full planning permission for 35 apartments and three ground-floor commercial premises, comprising two restaurant units and a shop. That gives a prospective buyer an approved route towards bringing new homes, businesses and life to this familiar corner of the seafront.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

The Council’s approximately £73 million waterfront regeneration programme, Bangor Marine’s Queen’s Parade redevelopment and the proposed transformation of the former Flagship Centre into Marina Village together represent a substantial commitment to Bangor’s future.
These projects are at different stages, but their combined potential is considerable. Together, they could give people more reasons to visit Bangor, more places to spend time and help strengthen the city-centre economy.

The Marine Court Hotel is also advertised for sale. With 51 bedrooms, hospitality and leisure facilities, and its own substantial seafront site, its availability adds another intriguing dimension. For an investor with the ambition to consider both properties, there could be scope for a much broader vision for this stretch of Quay Street, subject to the necessary agreements and approvals.

A prime waterfront position, marina views, planning permission already in place and major regeneration on the doorstep. For the right investor, the Royal ticks a remarkable number of boxes.

Bangor has waited a long time to see this landmark site fulfil its potential. Its return to the market offers another chance for someone to recognise the opportunity and turn it into something the city can be proud of.

29/10/2026

COLIN MIDDLETON'S LEGACY PRESERVED IN BANGOR

A collection of sketches and personal photographs donated by Colin Middleton’s daughter has brought a significant part of the artist’s legacy into public ownership in Bangor.

The gift, received by North Down Museum on 5 June 2025, is valued at more than £23,000 in an annual report due before Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Place and Prosperity Committee on 5 November.

Donated by Jane Middleton, the collection includes original sketches showing the development of her father’s artistic style, alongside photographs offering a glimpse inside his studio on Victoria Road. At the time of the donation, the museum described it as its first substantial holding of Middleton’s work.

“My father was so fond of Bangor,” Jane said at the handover, explaining that she wanted the pieces to remain locally for people to enjoy.

Born in Belfast in 1910, Middleton became one of the leading Irish painters of his generation. His work explored different ways of depicting people and places, moving through Surrealism, Cubism and Expressionism during a long and varied career.

His connection with Bangor stretched back to 1953, when he first moved to the town. A blue plaque at 6 Victoria Road, unveiled in November 2005, commemorates that association. Alongside painting, Middleton’s creative life included poetry, music, theatre design, murals and mosaics.

The donation grew out of preparations for North Down Museum’s ‘Inspiration and Transformation’ exhibition, which brought rarely seen works from private collections before the public.

While working with museum staff, Jane agreed to lend pieces by her father and brother. Those conversations later led her to donate a collection of her father’s sketches to the museum permanently.

The annual report places the gift within a wider effort to develop an art collection with stronger connections to the borough. Staff have been building relationships with collectors and potential donors, seeking opportunities to make significant artworks accessible locally.

For Bangor, the collection adds a personal dimension to the story of an artist whose life and work form part of the city’s cultural history.

BangorByTheSea believes the proposed new City Hall within Bangor’s Queen’s Parade development should include a 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆.
A dedicated space could showcase works from the museum’s collection alongside loans and rotating exhibitions, celebrating his connection to Bangor and giving residents and visitors a chance to discover his work. It would give the city’s artistic heritage a lasting place within its regeneration.

Pictured: The cover of Threshold, published by the Lyric Theatre Players in 1970, with a cover design by Colin Middleton.

28/10/2026

𝗔 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗢𝗥 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗
There’s a tasty new addition to Bangor, with 𝗠𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 setting up in the newly refurbished 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲.

The square is becoming a welcoming wee corner for local businesses, with the arcade and its neighbours giving people more reasons to stop by. This latest arrival adds something for those looking for a warming bite to eat.

Loaded jacket potatoes take centre stage, with fillings including chilli con carne, BBQ pulled pork and chicken curry. There’s also a selection of burgers, alongside breakfast baps, hot drinks and snacks.

For anyone grabbing something during their lunch break, taking a breather between jobs or spending the day out in Bangor, it’s a handy spot to keep in mind. It’s also a great option for those who fancy taking their food back to the comfort of their car or works van for a wee snack and a well-earned break.

Every new business brings fresh energy to the city, and it’s lovely to see Holborn Square’s refurbishment being followed by more activity and enterprise.

𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗕𝘆𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗦𝗲𝗮 wishes the Mr Potato Head team every success as they settle into their new home.

Further information and updates can be found on Mr Potato Head’s page. (Link Below)

27/10/2026

𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐑’𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄!

After some years in exile, Bangor’s much-loved Pastie Supper Lover has returned to the waterfront, and he’s already bagged himself a prime seat! 🍟

The 25-year-old sculpture, familiar to generations of visitors to the Marina waterfront and Pickie Funpark, can now be seen sitting patiently in the McKee Clock plaza ahead of Friday’s official handover of the first part of Marine Gardens to the Council.

A lovely nod to the simple pleasure of a chip or pastie supper beside the sea, he brings a familiar face to Bangor’s changing waterfront. There’s even an old map of Bangor on the back of the sculpture, a wee detail you might have missed over the years.

Welcome home, old friend. After all that time, we hope somebody’s getting you a fresh pastie!

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐞?

26/10/2026

£𝟑.𝟎𝟔 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐑
Windsor Developments Ltd has been awarded a £3.06 million contract to deliver affordable rental homes in the Bangor area for Maple and May.

The award, published in September, forms part of the Department for Communities’ Affordable Rent Programme. The tender sought proposals for developments of up to 20 homes, although the award notice does not identify the location or confirm the final number. Its provisional timetable runs to September 2028.

Meanwhile, Causeway Geotech was spotted today taking core samples on the vacant land on Hamilton Road, raising an interesting possibility.

The former Hamilton House and Sea Scout Hall site, opposite Ward Park and beside the former British Legion hall, displays a sale agreed sign. Council minutes confirm that a contract of sale became binding last December, giving the purchaser 18 months to secure approval for their proposals. The purchaser was not named. Council minutes, 4 August 2026

Could the newly awarded housing contract be linked to the Hamilton Road site?

At this stage, any connection is purely speculative, but it remains an interesting possibility.

There is currently no confirmed connection between the Hamilton Road site and the Windsor contract. Ground investigations can help assess a site for future development, but they certainly don't establish what will be built or mean that construction is about to begin.
Before any construction takes place, the developer will have to go through the very lengthy planning process. As yet, no application has been submitted.

25/10/2026

𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐗 𝐁𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐃?
The planned removal of the telephone box outside Bangor’s Courthouse has started a conversation about its place in the city’s history. A replacement digital hub has received planning approval for a position further along Quay Street, but discussion about preserving the existing kiosk continues.

The kiosk’s proposed removal has also stirred memories of the days when public telephones were an essential part of a reporter’s working life. In February, the Belfast Telegraph reported calls from journalists and writers to preserve the Courthouse phone box, highlighting its connection with filing news stories before mobile phones became commonplace.

It is an interesting piece of local history, although I do wonder whether we are all remembering the same telephone boxes, particularly when looking back to the Troubles.

My own memory is of the three red kiosks across the road beside the old beach. They were a familiar part of the seafront into the 1980s, and you can see them in the photograph accompanying this post.

I have no recollection of a phone box outside the Courthouse during those earlier years of the Troubles. I only remember the newer glass kiosks appearing much later, perhaps in the late 1990s or early 2000s. But I may well be mistaken, which is why I would love to hear from people who remember it differently.

By then, mobile phones were becoming increasingly commonplace. They were especially useful for journalists, allowing them to contact their newsrooms while out covering a story. That makes the timing of the kiosks’ arrival all the more interesting, although it does not rule out reporters continuing to use them.

There is a small clue in the design. The red-domed KX100 Plus arrived in 1996. The Courthouse photograph shows two glass kiosks in place in March 2008.

Before the remaining box goes, it would be good to put a few dates to its story.

Do you remember when the Courthouse kiosks appeared, or when the three beside the beach disappeared? Did you ever use them to phone a report back to a newsroom?

Please leave your memories, dates or photographs in the comments below. And tell us what you think. Should the remaining phone box be preserved?

24/10/2026

𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐌𝐈𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝟑𝟐 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍’𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐄
Clanmil Housing Association continues to be named in official housing records as the intended provider of 32 new social homes understood to form part of Bangor’s Queen’s Parade development. The latest timetable suggests that completion could be as late as early 2030.

The scheme is listed as “Bangor Marina Regeneration” in the Housing Executive’s programme, with construction scheduled to begin in the 2027/28 financial year and completion anticipated in 2029/30.

The timetable has, however, moved back. Department for Communities papers dated 5 February 2026 named the same association and 32-home scheme, but anticipated a start in 2026/27 and completion in 2028/29. The new schedule pushes both milestones back by one financial year.

The proposed homes would be a welcome addition in an area where social housing construction is particularly limited. In the same Housing Executive documentation, North Down is the only one of Northern Ireland’s 18 parliamentary constituencies with no social homes listed as under construction.

Although the dates remain provisional, the programme provides further reassurance that Clanmil remains the intended operator of the development’s social housing.

For Queen’s Parade, regeneration has always been about more than buildings and public spaces. These apartments would also bring people and everyday life back into the heart of Bangor, giving residents a home close to the shops, services and waterfront.

23/10/2026

𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗥𝗦! 𝗟𝗘𝗧’𝗦 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚!
Bangor’s new city plaza is preparing to welcome its first visitors, and there could hardly be a better time for our local voices to help bring the city to life.

On Saturday 28 November, "𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦" will fill the city centre with music. Choirs from across Ards and North Down are being invited to take part.

Whether you sing in a school, church, community or workplace choir, or simply enjoy singing with friends, this is your call to step forward. All ages and abilities are welcome to apply.

There is wonderful talent rehearsing every week in our classrooms, churches and community halls. Here is an opportunity to share it with the city, catch the ear of a passing shopper and give people a reason to stop and enjoy being in Bangor.

As our new public spaces open up, it is the people who use them who will give them their warmth, character and soul.
Our singers have a part to play in that.

𝗣𝗨𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗

Performances will take place between 10am and 6pm on Saturday 28 November. Participating groups must be available during that period, with individual performance times and locations confirmed beforehand.

Email [email protected] by 𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟲 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, including your contact details, a brief description of your choir and the number of members.

The Council will select choirs from the applications received.

Tag your choir, share this with your musical director and get the conversation started at your next rehearsal.

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗿!

For further info, terms and conditions, follow the link in the comments below:

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