The 700,000-sq ft mixed-use project won in the ReStore category, which rewards both the developer and the local authority for a successful partnership that delivers a sustainable result for the local and regional community. Paul Sargent, managing director of Multi Development UK and David Ferguson, deputy secretary of the Department of Social Development Northern Ireland were jointly presented with the award.

The judges said: “Victoria Square is the first major city centre development in Belfast for 15 years and the first fully financed private sector investment of this scale ever in Northern Ireland. A public square covered by a glass dome serves as the hub and the ornate 1870s Jaffe Fountain has been restored in its original location in the Square. This centre combines a streetscape and urban design. After 30 years of under-investment in Belfast after civil unrest, Victoria Square is tangible evidence of the “peace dividend” in Northern Ireland”.