£89m Belfast magnet recycling plant proposal advertised
A proposed £89 million Belfast magnet recycling plant, expected to create 55 jobs and safeguard another 25, has appeared in Belfast City Council’s latest planning advertisements.
Ionic Technologies’ proposed development would expand its existing operation with a commercial recycling and refining facility in Titanic Quarter.
The application concerns land west of Musgrave Channel Road, with access arrangements from Harland Road and Musgrave Channel Road.
Belfast magnet recycling plant would recover valuable materials
The facility would recover rare-earth materials from discarded magnets and manufacturing waste.
These materials can be processed into high-purity oxides used in products including electric vehicles, wind turbines and advanced manufacturing equipment.
Ionic Technologies already operates a demonstration facility in Belfast. The company says its commercial expansion would help return materials from used magnets to industrial supply chains.
Its technology originated in research at Queen’s University Belfast.
Jobs and investment projections
Titanic Quarter announced the submission of the plans on 29 September.
It described a proposed 10,798-square-metre development on a seven-acre brownfield site, incorporating the plant, offices and associated infrastructure.
The announcement said an economic assessment estimated that construction could support approximately 275 full-time jobs during a 30-week building phase.
Those figures are projections associated with the proposal.
Planning application advertised
The application was included in the council’s notices advertised on 16 October under reference LA04/2026/1680/F.
The advertisement is a further planning-stage development rather than a new announcement of the investment.
The scheme remains a proposal, with delivery subject to the necessary approvals.
External: Titanic Quarter’s project announcement.
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