Could businesses working together make an even bigger difference to Bangor, County Down?
With long-awaited regeneration sites along Bangor’s seafront gaining momentum, this is a new chapter in Bangor’s story.
A group of local businesspeople are working together to develop a proposal for a Business Improvement District (BID) for Bangor city centre, guided by the businesses within it.
A BID brings businesses together to agree priorities for their area and create a Business Improvement District collective fund to deliver them. There are now more than 340 BIDs across the UK and eight operating in Northern Ireland.
A BID aims to create a vibrant, resilient city centre that reflects the realities of doing business today. We will seek to deliver a proposal for practical improvements that enhance trading conditions, increase footfall, and make Bangor an even more attractive place to visit, work, and invest. We have created an outline area for a BID and set up a steering group that represents different sectors, including hospitality, retail, arts, property, transport and leisure.
We want to hear what matters most to local businesses, what would make the biggest difference and what a Bangor BID could look like if it is developed, by Bangor businesses, for Bangor businesses….
Have your say! Complete our online survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BangorBID2026
There are more than 700 businesses in central Bangor, mostly independents run by passionate local entrepreneurs. A BID can help support traders by delivering a range of benefits. Examples from existing successful BIDs include:
We plan to develop a proposal that will describe the projects and services a BID would deliver, its potential impact and how we will measure effectiveness. This proposal will then be put to a ballot of non-domestic rate payers within the BID area.
The BID is financed through a levy usually set between 1.5 – 2% of the rateable value of the business property. We estimate over half of eligible businesses in Bangor will pay less than £200 per year, that’s around £10 or £20 per month for a fantastic range of benefits.
Funds raised through the BID stay in Bangor and are invested directly into projects and services that benefit local businesses. The BID will be a clear plan of action agreed with local businesses, and transparent monitoring and reporting will ensure everyone can see the impact of their investment.
The BID will also work alongside other stakeholders to ensure the Waterfront Regeneration delivers for everyone who works in, lives in or visits Bangor City centre.
