A sneak peek at this week's EG Focus features : Northern Ireland

 

The Focus team is in Northern Ireland this week, and for those unable to wait for the magazine to drop through their letterbox tomorrow here's a sneak peek at what's on offer.

• Retail: Our editorial assistant Melanie Smith flew over to Belfast to see Victoria Square for herself. The scheme opened in March 2008 just as the retail market took a nosedive. It has 21 out of 98 shops still to let (there's a separate post about this). Melanie talks to owner Multi Development's about the deals on offer for occupiers.

Her pictures from the visit are available on the Focus Flickr page 

• Offices: Over half of Belfast's office space is let to the public sector. With the cancellation of the Workplace 2010 programme and a cutback in public sector budgets what can be done to stop vacancy rates sky rocketing in a city where over 500, 000 sq ft of new office space is empty?

We've also talked to Michael Graham, director of corporate real estate at the Titanic Quarter, who had been heavily relying on the banking sector to take space. How confident is he feeling now?

• Newry: Closer to the border we take a look at regeneration underway in Newry. The falling sterling and cuts to UK VAT have helped boost the small town's trade, but is that enough for the Hill Partnership's £100m plans to take off, especially when development in major towns is, quite  frankly, marginal at the moment?

 For all that and more, read Saturday's Estates Gazette 

Photo by antwerpenR used under Creative Commons from Flickr