1 - 3 Upper Queen Street, BT1 6FB
About Capital House
Capital House is an eight-storey commercial office building, originally completed in 1976. The building was historically used as BT’s headquarters, known as Dial House, reflecting its role in Belfast’s post-war commercial expansion. Capital House occupies a prominent corner site at the junction of Upper Queen Street and Wellington Place, immediately west of Donegall Square and close to Belfast City Hall. The site lies within one of the city’s most established commercial districts and forms part of the wider civic and business core of Belfast city centre.
The surrounding area is characterised by a dense urban streetscape comprising a mix of office buildings, retail units, hotels, hospitality uses and civic buildings. Architecturally, the context includes Georgian, Victorian and twentieth-century commercial buildings, many of which have undergone substantial refurbishment in recent years.
At the time of the application, the building is largely vacant and no longer meets the requirements of modern office occupiers. The existing façade is predominantly solid in character, with limited window openings that restrict daylight penetration and internal flexibility. Ground floor retail units are present and form part of the active street frontage along Upper Queen Street and Wellington Place.
Historic mapping indicates that the site and its immediate surroundings have evolved significantly since the nineteenth century. During the industrial period, this part of Belfast was closely associated with the city’s manufacturing and commercial expansion, particularly linked to the linen industry.
Buildings previously occupying or adjacent to the site included premises associated with A & S Henry Ltd, a prominent linen and damask manufacturer operating from Wellington Place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These earlier buildings reflected the architectural language of Victorian commercial Belfast, with strong masonry façades and formal street presence.
Following wartime damage, urban renewal initiatives, and changing commercial demands, much of the earlier building stock in this area was replaced during the mid to late twentieth century. Capital House was constructed in 1976, reflecting the architectural and functional priorities of that period, including deep floor plates and a solid external envelope.
Since then, the wider area has continued to adapt to shifts in office demand, conservation policy, and sustainability standards, resulting in multiple refurbishment and redevelopment projects in the immediate vicinity.
The Capital House site has historically benefited from its designation for commercial and office use, consistent with Belfast city centre planning policy. While detailed historic planning references pre-dating modern digital records are limited, the building has remained in continuous commercial use since its construction.
In recent years, neighbouring sites along Upper Queen Street and Wellington Place have secured planning permissions for major refurbishments, recladding schemes and vertical extensions, establishing a pattern of adaptive reuse rather than wholesale demolition. Examples include:
Merchant Square (Wellington Place) – comprehensive façade replacement and vertical extension
Eagle Star House/ Urban HQ (Upper Queen Street) – recladding and modernisation
Lancaster House – planning approval for refurbishment and extension
Beaufort House – planning-approved redevelopment
In November 2025, Melcorpo Commercial Properties submitted a planning application (LA04/2025/1973/F) proposing to deliver a comprehensive transformation of Capital House, including:
Two-storey rooftop extension, increasing the overall height from eight to nine storeys
Front and rear extensions, improving floorplate efficiency
Partial demolition of existing elements to facilitate reconfiguration
Complete replacement of the existing façade, introducing full-height glazing
Internal reconfiguration to modern office standards
Creation of external landscaped terraces at multiple levels
Upgraded entrance and circulation arrangements, including relocation of the main entrance to Wellington Place
3 ground floor retail units
The retained structural frame allows the building to be reused rather than demolished, aligning with sustainability and resource-efficiency objectives.
Project Information
Floors
9
Planning References
LA04/2025/1973/F LA04/2025/1973/F
Project Team
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