Future projects will build on Portview's role as a home for enterprise, learning, heritage and community in East Belfast.
Our Future
Portview’s future programme focuses on bringing more of the Mill back into productive use while supporting enterprise, learning, heritage and community activity. Each project below is shown with its current status, and new projects will be added once their scope and status are ready for public release.
Our Future
Portview Exchange would give Block D a new role within the Portview complex, bringing together artist studios, shared workspace, exhibition space and street-facing retail on the Newtownards Road. It would be a place for people to develop their practice, exchange ideas, show what they make and connect with the wider community.
Status: business case under consideration by The Executive Office. Funding decision awaited.
Our Future
Portview Exchange would combine dedicated studios with shared and flexible facilities, giving artists and creative organisations a more dependable base to plan ahead and develop programmes. Exhibitions and workshops could give local people opportunities to see creative work and take part.
The project would build on Creative Exchange Artist Studios’ existing presence at Portview, and the business case proposes a partnership with the collective. Converting Block D would also connect the Mill with the Newtownards Road, bringing existing retail and underused space into a more active mix of uses. The proposed partnership, operating arrangements and programme remain subject to confirmation.
Our Future
Belfast City Council has committed £600,000 through its Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund towards Portview Exchange. The primary funding required for delivery is being sought through The Executive Office’s Urban Villages programme. The business case is currently under consideration, and a funding decision is awaited.
Benefits such as a more dependable base for artists, shared facilities and opportunities for exhibitions and community participation remain proposed, not completed outcomes. Delivery is subject to the funding decision and the necessary approvals. No opening date or studio availability is being announced at this stage, and we will share updates as arrangements are confirmed.
Our Future
Portview and the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence (AMTCE) in Dundalk are seeking Shared Island support for a proposed advanced manufacturing and technology learning facility in the Mill. It would connect people in East Belfast with technical skills and advanced manufacturing expertise, building on the memorandum of understanding the partners signed in 2023.
Status: Shared Island application live, subject to funding approval.
Pictured: students from Belfast and County Louth presenting 3D-printed projects at Portview in 2025, part of the cross-border learning the facility would build on.
Our Future
The proposal would bring approximately 11,000 square feet on the third floor of Block B into use, with two classrooms, a practical workshop, learner support facilities and space for tutors and administration. Proposed equipment includes robotics, 3D printing, electrical and pneumatic training kits, laser scanning, augmented and virtual reality, and computers.
The facility would aim to support young people exploring their next steps, unemployed and underemployed adults, people facing barriers to participation, and employees and employers developing technical skills. Fastrack into Information Technology (FIT) is identified as a proposed training delivery partner, drawing on the expertise and curricula of AMTCE. Courses, eligibility and accreditation would be confirmed as delivery arrangements develop.
Our Future
The application seeks £3 million in capital funding for the Portview element, covering renovation, fit-out and equipment. This is the funding requested, not an approved award. If funding is approved, the partners would progress detailed planning, delivery arrangements, equipment procurement and programme development.
The facility, equipment and learning opportunities described here are proposals, subject to funding approval and detailed delivery planning. No opening date or course enrolment has been confirmed, and we will share updates when they are.
£600,000 Council funding is committed towards Portview Exchange, while the business case for primary funding through The Executive Office’s Urban Villages programme remains under consideration.
Read the update