To ask the Minister for Communities what engagement he has had with the Crown Estate in relation to permissions needed to progress the redevelopment of Queens Parade, Bangor.

My officials, in the Department’s Regional Development Office, along with Ards and North Down Borough Council, are continuing to work collaboratively with the developer, Bangor Marine, to progress the regeneration of Queen’s Parade.

Bangor Marine and Ards and North Down Borough Council are working together to secure the approvals required for the developer’s proposals that fall on the section of the scheme belonging to the Crown Estate, currently the Marine Gardens car park. Given that the negotiations between the parties are of a commercial nature, I have not had any engagement with the Crown Estate. I am hopeful that agreement will be reached in the near future and work can proceed later this year to unlock the regeneration potential of this key City Centre site.