Santander House is situated at 1 Mays Meadow, in the Laganside area of Belfast City Centre. The property occupies a prominent riverside position, bounded by Laganbank Road and adjacent to East Bridge Street and the Lagan Railway Bridge. The surrounding area forms part of the wider Mays Meadow development, which was one of the key regeneration zones initiated by the former Laganside Corporation.

Current Use of the Site

Santander House is currently classified as a Class B1(a) office building. It is a four-storey building with approximately 46 basement parking spaces, purpose-built for office use. The site is fully developed, with no undeveloped land surrounding it.

As of 2025, the building is understood to be largely vacant or underutilised, having previously been used for call centre and corporate office purposes.

History of the Site

Santander House was originally developed as a speculative call centre project by Finbrook Investments, a Dublin-based developer. Construction commenced in March 1998 and the building was completed and occupied by April 1999. It was initially built for Abbey National, and marked one of the first major developments in the Laganside Corporation’s Mays Meadow regeneration programme.

In late 1999, shortly after completion, Finbrook Investments sold the building for £10.2 million.

Proposed Future Use

In May 2025, a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) (LA04/2025/0885/PAN) was submitted, setting out initial proposals for the change of use of an existing office building to a short-term Transitional Care Unit. The PAN outlined an indicative healthcare-led development designed to support intermediate care needs, particularly for patients requiring ongoing clinical support following hospital discharge but not acute hospital treatment.

At PAN stage, the proposals included:

• Provision of approximately 60–80 bed spaces

• A range of ancillary healthcare facilities, including:

  • Consulting rooms

  • Physiotherapy suites

  • Medical laboratories

  • Administrative and clinical offices

• Minor external alterations

• All associated site and access works

In October 2025, Lifeworks Development Ltd submitted a full planning application (LA04/2025/1716/F) for the redevelopment of Santander House. The application confirms a change of use from Class B1(a) office accommodation to a short-term Transitional Care Unit under Use Class D1 (Medical).

The full application proposes 73 en-suite bed spaces alongside an expanded range of supporting medical and ancillary facilities, including:

• Café

• Rehabilitation suites

• Treatment rooms

• Laboratory

• Consulting rooms

Additional supporting infrastructure is also proposed, comprising:

• Two external terraces

• Dedicated staff accommodation and storage areas

External works associated with the development include:

• An ambulance drop-off bay

• Replacement of existing windows

• All associated site, access, and servicing works