Belfast former banking call centre will become a transitional care unit.

Belfast City Council approved converting Santander House into a 73‑bed short-term Transitional Care Unit, including rehabilitation suites and an ambulance drop-off.

A former banking call centre in Belfast is set to become a short-term Transitional Care Unit following a decision at City Hall. The Planning Committee at Belfast City Council gave unanimous approval on February 17 for the change of use. The building is Santander House, 1 Mays Meadow, near the Albert Bridge, originally built in the late 1990s for Abbey National. The proposal emphasizes reuse of the existing modern structure and includes energy-efficiency upgrades such as new insulation and windows. Project details: - The committee unanimously approved the application to change the office building to a Transitional Care Unit on February 17. - The proposed unit would provide 73 ensuite beds, rehabilitation suites, treatment rooms, a laboratory, consulting rooms, a cafe, two external terraces, and ancillary staff and storage rooms. - Site changes include an ambulance drop-off bay, replacement windows, other site and access works, and 37 parking spaces within the lower ground floor. - Access arrangements note pedestrian entry via East Bridge Street, an ambulance drop-off to the rear, and internal access from the undercroft parking area. - The applicants are Life Works Developments Ltd; statutory and non-statutory consultees supported the proposal and the council received no third-party representations. Summary: The committee's unanimous approval allows the conversion proposal to proceed within the planning framework. The development is presented as a reuse of an existing building with energy-efficiency improvements, and the timing for construction or opening is undetermined at this time.