Belfast confirmed as a key location as part of BT’s biggest UK workplace improvement programme
BT has announced that it will be making a major multi-million pound investment in refurbishing its Belfast flagship office, Riverside Tower, as the city was today revealed as a key location in the company’s future plans.
The building in Lanyon Place will undergo a significant refurbishment, starting later this year, to modernise it and create a fantastic future-fit workplace, with the capacity for approximately 1800 colleagues.
The project, which is set to be completed by late 2022, is expected to accommodate colleagues across BT Group, which includes the UK digital network business Openreach.
Belfast is the latest key location to be unveiled as part of BT’s ‘Better Workplace Programme’ – the largest workplace improvement and consolidation scheme of its type ever undertaken in the UK.
The five-year programme will improve and consolidate BT’s footprint of more than 300 locations to around 30, including corporate offices, contact centres and specialist sites.
Angela McGowan, Regional Director, CBI, said: “BT’s investment in Belfast is great news for the city and we are pleased that as one of Northern Ireland’s largest employers, BT has confirmed its long-term presence here and its investment in modernising its office space in the city centre.
“Upgrading BT’s Belfast site is not only good news for local jobs and employee wellbeing, but also for the wider economy as there are likely to be many local companies and suppliers involved in this large scale project.”
Graeme Paton, BT’s managing director, property and facility services, said: “Our refurbished building in Belfast will bring our people together in an impressive and modern collaborative environment, transforming the way we work.
“Excitingly, Belfast will continue to be an important location for BT Group. Our colleagues at our Riverside Tower building will benefit from working in a completely refurbished future-fit office which sits in the heart of the city.
“The buildings we work in play a huge part in how we feel and how we collaborate with each other, so we are looking forward to transforming our Belfast office for our colleagues to enjoy as many more of us start to return to our offices over the next few months.”
Jane Wood, BT Group director, UK regions, said: “This is a real sign of BT’s continued commitment to Belfast and also to Northern Ireland as a key strategic location for the business.
“Although many of us have been working from home successfully over the last year, we also know that modern office environments are vital. This announcement further highlights BT’s confidence in Northern Ireland’s ability to make a sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Teams based at Belfast’s refurbished office will benefit from the company’s investment in 5G and full-fibre broadband in the city. BT’s ambition is to increase efficiency and productivity, improving its ability to do the best for its customers. The Better Workplace Programme will deliver a combination of refurbishments like this, as well as new offices. The programme is due to complete in 2024.
BT Group plays an important role in Northern Ireland and is responsible for directly generating £1 in every £110 produced here, according to an independent report. It generated £655 million to the Northern Ireland economy in “Gross Value Added” GVA, during the 2019/20 financial year.* BT Group employs 7,270 people both directly and indirectly across the Northern Ireland.
