GrantRadar

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

Grade A Office Accommodation Grant Scheme for Newry City

A capital grant from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, funded by the Department for Communities through the Belfast Region City Deal, for developers and property owners building Grade A office space in Newry City Centre - new build, redevelopment of existing or derelict buildings (prioritised), or the office part of a mixed-use scheme. The grant works as a subsidy for market failure: it bridges the gap between the pre-development value plus eligible construction costs and the post-development value, with values verified by Land and Property Services. This is tranche 2 of a £3 million scheme.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Amount not specified
Deadline
33 days left
20 November
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Established businesses, preferably limited companies (evidence of legal status and directors is asked for), developing Grade A offices on a site within the Newry City Centre boundary shown on the map in the guidance notes
  • The applicant must have traded for at least 3 years with annual accounts for the past 2 years (audited if applicable); own the site, be buying it, or hold a lease of at least 25 years (subject to a Deed of Charge); have a design developed to at least RIBA Stage 3; have a designated project team and professional construction oversight; have planning permission or a valid planning application submitted (permission is preferred); and have a business case, match funding in place or being processed, an independent valuation and a timeframe and cashflow plan
  • Grade A means modern, DDA-compliant buildings with lifts, central HVAC, building management systems and sustainable-construction principles
  • Any change from Grade A use within 10 years of final payment must be agreed with the council, which may claw back grant under a Retention and Disposal Agreement

What it funds

Capital costs of developing Grade A office space (minimum 300 sq metres) in Newry City Centre:

  • Site clearance and preparation costs including demolition and site security
  • Construction costs
  • Professional fees associated with construction
  • Professional fees associated with letting/project disposal
  • Shell finish - fixed internal fixtures and fittings which are directly related to achieving Grade A standards

the list of eligible costs is not exhaustive. In multi-use schemes, support is only available for the costs of building the Grade A office space.

What it will not fund

  • Statutory fees, legal fees, bank fees
  • Maintenance costs
  • Office equipment, unfixed furniture, fixtures and fittings
  • Staff costs - ongoing overheads
  • Purchase of land or property
  • Insurance costs
  • Costs which clearly fall within another statutory agency's remit
  • Projects delivered outside the Newry City area
  • Salaries and/or administration costs
  • Costs incurred prior to the funding application and letter of offer from the Council
  • Costs that can be recovered elsewhere, for instance recoverable VAT
  • Payments to members of the applicant group (employees, directors, board members, trustees or their immediate family) for services on the project, i.e. self-invoicing - reviewed case by case for developers
  • Costs covered by other funding sources, including the Council's LEP Commercial Property Revive and Reimage Grant Scheme

How to apply

  1. Recommended: arrange a one-to-one pre-application meeting with council staff (grantsandfunding@nmandd.org, 0300 137 4000) and attend a seminar or information workshop (register at www.ticketsource.com/officespaceseminar)
  2. Register on the council's SmartSimple online grant management system and read the guidance notes
  3. Submit the full application with business case and all supporting evidence by 12 noon on Friday 20 November 2026
  4. Stage 1: basic eligibility check - incomplete applications or missing attachments are rejected
  5. Stage 2: appraisal and scoring by a council officer panel, informed by Land and Property Services and a Quantity Surveyor; a minimum score of 50% is needed and projects are ranked
  6. Recommendations go to the council's Economy, Regeneration and Tourism Committee for approval, and successful applicants receive a Letter of Offer

grant is paid in stages against agreed targets, with the final payment on completion, so applicants need cash flow until it is released. Professional fees must be publicly procured.

Have ready

  • Completed and signed application
  • Accounts for the past two years (audited if applicable)
  • Evidence of legal status as a limited company, with details of directors
  • Approved design completed to RIBA Stage 3
  • Evidence of a designated project team
  • Evidence of land ownership, legal title or a lease of at least 25 years, with folio maps
  • Planning permission, or evidence a valid planning application has been submitted
  • Business case covering the strategic, economic, financial, commercial and management cases
  • Evidence of match funding (e.g. bank loan confirmation, bank statements, letter of offer or intent)
  • Independent valuation of the land/property
  • Timeframe plan and cashflow for the project

if match funding is still being processed, full confirmation is required within 12 weeks of the Letter of Offer.

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