Plans submitted for £89m rare-earth magnet recycling facility in Titanic Quarter

Plans submitted for £89m rare-earth magnet recycling facility in Titanic Quarter

29 September 2026

Ionic Technologies has submitted plans for a proposed £89m magnet-recycling and refining facility in Titanic Quarter, Belfast, which would create 55 new jobs and safeguard a further 25.

The proposed 10,798 sq m facility would be built on a seven-acre brownfield site at Harland Road in Titanic Quarter, expanding Ionic Technologies’ existing Belfast operation.

The £89m investment would see the development of a new recycling and refining plant, alongside offices, car parking, landscaping and associated site infrastructure.

The plant would recover, separate and refine rare-earth elements from end-of-life magnets and manufacturing waste, producing high-purity rare-earth oxides for use in electric vehicles, wind turbines and advanced manufacturing.

Rare-earth materials are critical to these industries, yet supply remains concentrated in international markets and exposed to long supply chains. Ionic Technologies says the proposed facility would help build a more secure and circular domestic supply of these materials.

The development would also deliver a significant economic boost for Northern Ireland. An economic impact assessment submitted with the application estimates that the 30-week construction phase could support around 275 full-time construction jobs and generate £19.6m in GVA across Northern Ireland.

Once operational, the facility is projected to contribute around £11m a year in net additional GVA to the Northern Ireland economy and approximately £325,000 a year in non-domestic rates.

The proposal builds on research originating at Queen’s University Belfast and more than a decade of technology development by Ionic Technologies, bringing Belfast-developed innovation closer to large-scale commercial production and once again placing Belfast at the forefront of global innovation.

Tim Harrison, Managing Director of Ionic Rare Earths, said:

“Submitting this application is an important step towards a major long-term investment in Belfast, built around technology developed locally.

“Subject to approval, the facility would create highly skilled jobs, support advanced manufacturing and return rare-earth materials already in circulation to the supply chain.”

The planning application, accompanied by environmental, transport and economic assessments, has been submitted to Belfast City Council.