CGI of the proposed facility at Queens Road in Titanic Quarter.
What are the Proposals?
The new c.11,100sq ft facility will provide a long-term, future-proofed operational base for Ionic Technologies, delivering the rare earth recycling facility alongside ancillary office space, associated car parking, landscaping, site works and access arrangements from Harland Road and Musgrave Channel Road.
Why is this important?
Rare earth materials are essential to modern life. They are used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics and advanced manufacturing systems.
Currently, supply chains are long, complex and heavily dependent on overseas production. This facility will help create a secure, sustainable and traceable UK and European supply of these critical materials.
It is also an opportunity for Belfast to take a leading role in a strategically important, future-facing industry, with clear economic and environmental benefits.
The recovered materials through the recycling processes are used to make new high-performance magnets, which are essential components in:
Electric vehicles
Wind turbines
Consumer electronics (like mobile phones and laptops)
Advanced manufacturing and clean technologies
As a result, instead of relying only on mining new materials across the world, this process reuses valuable resources already in circulation, reduces environmental impact with no need to extract new materials, and creates a more secure and local supply of critical materials to support clean technologies and energy infrastructure.
CGI of the proposed facility at Queens Road in Titanic Quarter.
Why has Belfast Been Chosen?
Belfast offers a unique combination of:
World-class skills and research, particularly through Queen’s University Belfast
Access to UK and EU markets
A growing critical minerals and clean-tech cluster
Proximity to offshore wind and advanced manufacturing supply chains
This makes it an ideal location to develop a globally significant facility.
Being located within Titanic Quarter is also strategically important.
Titanic Quarter is one of Europe’s largest and most successful ongoing urban regeneration projects, transforming Belfast’s historic waterfront into a thriving hub for business, innovation and sustainable development.
In just over a decade, it has evolved from a masterplan into a vibrant district where over 20,000 people live, work, visit and stay each day, and where more than 100 national and international businesses are now based.
Located within Belfast’s wider Innovation District, the Ionic Technologies facility will sit within an environment that already brings together advanced manufacturing, research capability and global business.
Supporting high-quality jobs in Belfast
Through this c. £100m investment in Belfast, the company is establishing a new base, and a new model of industrial activity combining advanced technology, environmental responsibility and economic value.
The proposed facility will support around 80 jobs, including the creation of around 55 new roles, spanning high-skilled technical, operational and professional opportunities.
The development will also support the growth of a critical minerals cluster in Belfast, attract further investment and innovation, strengthen local supply chains, and contribute to a just transition through high-quality, sustainable employment.
Ionic Technologies is committed to prioritising local recruitment and working with education providers to develop skills pathways, apprenticeships and graduate opportunities.
About the Consultation Team
The applicant is supported by a consultancy team which includes Turley, the Planning and Communication Consultants and TSL as the Project Architects.
Pre-application Community Consultation
We are currently undertaking pre-application community consultation to gather your views on the proposals ahead of submitting a full planning application to Belfast City Council.
Join our public information event
We will be hosting a public information event at The Titanic Hotel, 5 Queens Road, Belfast, BT3 9DH, from 3-7pm on Thursday 21st May 2026.
Members of the project team will be on hand to listen to your comments and answer your questions
Have your say
Explore our proposals
Download an information pack
Download
(Download Pack Available from 21st May 2026)
If you would like to order a printed hard copy of our proposals, please call us on our Freephone hotline 0808 1688 296. We can also share a proposal pack via email.
To order one, simply send an email requesting a digital information pack to: contact@ionictechnologiesconsultation.com
Give us a call
If you would like a member of the team to explain our proposals over the phone, you can call our Freephone consultation hotline on 0808 1688 296. A member of the team will call you back and will be able to answer any questions you have about the development.
Chat to our Team
You can use the live chat function on this website to talk to a member of the project team who will be available Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm to respond to your queries.