HALT Weavers Cross, Belfast for MRP, Hastings Group and Translink, with TODD and RPP Architects

HALT Weavers Cross, Belfast for MRP, Hastings Group and Translink, with TODD and RPP Architects

 

HALT Weavers Cross is a ’meanwhile use’ space, which has been secured for 5 years as MRP progress with the £500M Weavers Cross Regeneration scheme. The 1.5 million sqft development is one of Belfast city’s largest ever regeneration projects. HALT is a mix of food, drinks, culture, entertainment and community. The food vendors are in an outdoor area in temporary, converted shipping containers used as food units.  Alongside HALT is a community/innovation hub called PLATFORM, run by Co-operation Ireland, a peace-building organisation.

 

 

Describe the context of this project, its neighbourhood and people.

 

HALT is a meanwhile-use destination located on the site of the former Europa Bus Centre on Glengall Street in Belfast, it opened on 8th July 2025. MRP is the master developer for Weavers Cross Regeneration project. The community hub PLATFORM, is operated by Co-Operation Ireland, a cross-community peace building organisation. HALT is centred around the new integrated transport hub Belfast Grand central Station. The ‘meanwhile use’ is secured for 5 years by MRP whilst the wider Weavers Cross Regeneration development Is underway. The development includes the potential for 1.5 million sqft of mixed-use office, life sciences, residential, hotels and retail / leisure space with an estimated GDV value of £500M.
 The development’s 3 core zones: 
Saltwater Square - Potential for 260,000 sqft of prime Grade A office space adjacent to the Belfast Grand Central Station.
Worx Innovation Campus - 635,000 sqft technology, innovation and life sciences situated between Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University, just minutes from both the Royal Victoria and Belfast City Hospitals.
Flax Yards - Comprising 6 plots totalling approximately 650,000 sqft living component comprising 400 residential units and affordable housing.
Weavers Cross will regenerate a major brownfield site in central Belfast and will reconnect the city locally, nationally and internationally.
 
The Weavers Cross development is committed to sustainability, targeting a reduction of at least 50% in current emissions by 2030 in line with its Climate Action Pledge, aiming for Net Zero by 2040 including the integration of HALT.
 

Tell us what you did and how the project, event or installation enlivened the place in a creative way? 

 

MRP has worked collaboratively with partners to bring forward the first project in the Weavers Cross development scheme marking a dynamic step towards revitalising this area of the city, at the site of the former Europa Bus centre. The transformation to the ‘meanwhile use’ has been exceptionally successful. 
 
Our approach centred on opening the space up to community, culture, and creativity. 
 
Through HALT Weavers Cross, MRP has demonstrated how imaginative a ‘meanwhile use’ can ignite a place, build momentum for regeneration and inspire people to see a site’s potential long before construction begins. In our support of environmental and social impact, all our food vendor stalls are 100% electric with no use of gas emissions. We kept the original theme of the former Europa Bus Station, keeping the floors, the ticket stands, the clock for which the bus times were called out and the bus stands remain outside. 
 
We introduced creative interventions that brought new life to the space. One of the former ticket booths was transformed into a cocktail bar, blending the old with the new. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with visitors praising how the development has modernised the station while thoughtfully retaining and re-energising its historic character.

 

Did the project make a positive social and environmental contribution? If it was a temporary intervention, is there a legacy plan? What happened to its tenants, users, materials and programming?

 

Refurbishing the former Europa Bus Station made a huge positive impact on Belfast City Centre, bringing visitors from all over to support the local businesses. The original Lecky’s Newsagents which was in the former Europa Bus Station was relocated to the neighbouring Great Northern Mall shopping centre and has had an exceptional increase in sales as the local offices are more aware the shop exists. 
 
 The ‘meanwhile use’ space is temporary for 5 years but there is a potential this may be extended. 
 
 To champion sustainability and honour the building’s heritage, we focused on re-using existing materials and retaining the original character of the former Europa Bus Station. The original floors, ticket stands, and the iconic station clock, once used to call out bus times has been carefully preserved. The external bus stands also remain in place, maintaining a strong visual and cultural link to the site’s past.
 
 A key innovation was transforming one of the former ticket booths into a vibrant cocktail bar. This creative adaptation has been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback, with visitors praising how MRP has modernised the space while sensitively celebrating its original features.
 
 HALT has provided an opportunity for new businesses ventures, welcoming Patty’s Proper Burgers, BLOCK 313, BABS, Mission Street and Tasti Island as fresh additions to the city. The development has also enabled much-loved Belfast vendors Bodega Bagels and Katsu Kitchen to open their second locations, supporting their continued growth and visibility.
 
 The monthly market also welcomes local, small businesses entrepreneurs.