‘Turning this into a business would take away its humanity’

Amid the hustle and bustle of Belfast city centre lies an historic building that has become an oasis of calm.

It is a place that anybody can walk into to chat, relax or read. And it does not cost a thing.

It has something for everyone – from a playful children’s space and a sensory dome, to a Belfast-themed library and a grand piano.

But as changes are afoot, users are anxious about its future.

Dave Cunningham has been going to the community hub for three years. The 49-year-old, who is registered blind and lives in supported housing in south Belfast, said it had been his “lifeline”.

“I’ve laughed here, I’ve cried here, I’ve relaxed, I’ve met people. A lot of the time it’s felt like family,” he said.

“Here, I can just sit with someone and hear one another’s stories – you don’t get that out on the street.”

2 Royal Avenue is an imposing listed building that has lived a number of lives – it was the head office of the Provincial Bank of Ireland and then a Tesco supermarket.

It opened in 2021 as a temporary free public space, and it hosts community groups, arts events, workshops, job fairs and exhibitions.

It is operated by MayWe, a Belfast-based arts and cultural management company, and funded by Belfast City Council.

There are plans to establish a dedicated LGBTQIA+ hub on the first floor.

However, the council is now looking to secure a long-term operator and is inviting expressions of interest. Council staff say they want to retain elements of the existing set-up but users are still anxious.

Cunningham is worried about commercial interests trumping the “humanity and community”.

“If it becomes a business, it becomes clinical,” he said. “If it becomes like that, I won’t be setting foot in here.”

Over the last year, Belfast City Council has spent £425,000 running the venue but the aim is to “reduce the burden on ratepayers”.

DUP councillor Ian McLaughlin said the council wished to introduce a “commercial element” to the building, which would make it more “sustainable”.

“At the minute there’s no long-term planning,” he said. “With long-term planning it means an operator can access other streams of funding.

“We are hoping that community groups and people that use the building at the moment will be included in the new plan but all these things are to be worked at, hence the expression of interest.

“Papers will be brought before committee and any decision ratified by full council.”

Students Leo Morales and Lorna McArdle regularly use the building.

McArdle said it was a “chill place to hang out if you’re overstimulated in town or feeling tired”.

“You can just relax here, and there’s usually somebody playing the piano in the background which is really calming,” Morales added.

“It’s a place to come with friends and not have to pay any money at all.”

Imagine – a festival of ideas and politics – runs for a week at the end of March and uses the venue.

Festival director Mags White-O’Kane said 2 Royal Avenue was “incredibly important” to the whole sector.

“Even having a profit-making element to this building means the community values are going to be really compromised,” she said.

“Arts organisations, community sectors, even some members of the public will be expected to pay for some services. There really isn’t any other way that we can see that this building can support itself.

“I do believe the arts sector would be priced out of using this venue as much and attendees would suffer.”

Age Friendly Belfast run a meet-up called Grapevine at the hub every Tuesday morning.

Godfrey Brock-Gadd and Hazel McLean are two of the volunteers.

“A lot of people are living on their own – sometimes with nobody to talk to,” said McLean.

“If this closes, they’ll stay home and that’s when loneliness really kicks in.

“If this space goes, we don’t know where we’ll end up, that’s a big thing for older people.”

Brock-Gadd said Belfast was built around youth, students and tourism but 2 Royal Avenue had given senior citizens a space in the city.

“What people are really scared of is losing their friendships,” he said.

Belfast City Council said the last four years had helped shape its vision for how it wanted to use 2 Royal Avenue in the longer term.

“Our ambition is that any new, permanent use will still retain elements of the existing public-facing, civic space, while also ensuring the venue’s future financial sustainability,” the council added.