The second phase of luxury, newly-refurbished apartments at the Obel building in Belfast city centre is now on sale. The recent release of the high-end units is the latest stage of the ongoing £2m upgrade of Ireland’s tallest building, with the first phase of apartments now sold out.

The prices of the sold apartments range from £139,000 to £305,000 and, as with the first phase, the new apartments coming to market will include a mix of one, two and three-bed units.

The launch of the new phase comes as the latest Northern Ireland House Price Index report reveals that the house price index increased by 3.8% between Q1 and Q2 of 2016, with an increase of 7.8% between Q2 in 2015 and Q2 in 2016 also reported.

Announced earlier this year, the Obel refurbishment project has seen enhancement works being carried out to the internal finishes of the Obel apartments as well as to the lifts, lobbies, reception areas and, perhaps most notably, to the Tower’s external facade.

Will Miscampbell, Partner at Fetherston Clements Estate Agents, the selling agent for the Obel apartments, commented:

“There is a real appetite at the moment for high-end city centre living and we are thrilled with the level of demand in the first phase of apartments, which has now sold out.

“The work which has been carried out to the apartments’ internal finishes, lifts, lobbies and reception areas, as well as ongoing work on an external solar window film project, has really transformed the building and helped contribute to the success of the initial phase of sales.

“The high demand for Obel apartments is in keeping with the latest House Price Index report which shows how vibrant the local residential property market is, with 4,075 residential properties sold during the second quarter of this year.

“Purchasers have given us feedback on how important it was to them to be able to touch and experience what they’re buying. The fact that potential home owners can explore the apartments and the building itself before buying helps to paint a picture of what it is like to live in the Obel.

“We’ve carried out extensive improvements to the common areas and apartments, which are available to view on our new-look website at Obelbelfast.co.uk” Ciaran O’Kane, Director of Property Management at Lisney, commented:

“As Asset Manager of the Obel, Lisney has invested significant time and effort in to unlocking the Obel’s potential and we are really delighted with the response we’ve had from the public.

“Located just a few minutes’ walk from the Cathedral Quarter, the Obel has appealed to a range of city centre dwellers keen to take advantage of both its location and high end quality.

“The response we’ve had to the initial release of apartments has been hugely positive and we expect demand to continue to grow.

“The Obel is a truly iconic building in a fantastic location and, within the last number of months, we have seen the building begin to reach its potential as one of the UK’s premier city-centre residential properties.”

Located on Donegall Quay, the Obel is a 27-storey complex and also has 52,462 sq. ft. of grade A office accommodation, home to international law firm Allen & Overy and the Mount Charles-operated eaterie, Fed and Watered.