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Business Risk Services
Our Business Risk Services team deliver practical and pragmatic solutions that support clients in growing and protecting the inherent value of their businesses.
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Corporate Finance and Deal Advisory
We offer a dedicated team of experienced individuals with a focus on successfully executing transactions for corporates and financial institutions. We offer an integrated approach, with our corporate finance specialists working seamlessly with tax and other specialists to ensure that every angle is covered.
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Economic Advisory
Our all-island Economics Advisory team combines expertise in economics and business with a wealth of experience across the public and private sectors.
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Forensic Accounting
We have a different way of doing business by delivering real insight through a combination of technical rigour, commercial experience and intuitive judgment. We take pride in delivering responsive and tailored solutions to all our clients, capitalising on the wealth of experience housed within our Belfast and wider Forensics team
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People and Change Consulting
The Grant Thornton People & Change Consulting practice works with clients on these issues as well as on all aspects of how they attract, retain, engage develop, deploy and lead their people.
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Restructuring
We work with a wide variety of clients and stakeholders such as high street banks, private equity funds, directors, government agencies and creditors to implement solutions which provide the best possible outcomes.
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Technology Consulting
Motivating and assisting our clients to pursue, maintain and secure the benefits of digital solutions is at the core of our Digital Transformation teams' agenda and goals. We work with business leaders to deliver efficient digital strategies and operating models that provide new or enhanced capabilities.
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Corporate and International Tax
Northern Ireland businesses face further challenges as they operate in the only part of the UK that has a land border with a country offering a lower tax rate.
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Employer Solutions
Our team specialises in remuneration and incentive planning and works closely with employers, shareholders and employees to ensure that business strategies are aligned and goals achieved in the most tax efficient, cost-effective manner.
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Entrepreneur and Private Client Taxes
Our team of experienced advisors are on hand to guide you through any decision or transaction ranging from the establishment of new business ventures, to realising value on exit, to succession planning and providing for loved ones.
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Global Mobility Services
Grant Thornton Ireland offer a different approach to managing global mobility. We have brought together specialists from our tax, global payroll, people and change and financial accounting teams across Ireland and Northern Ireland, while drawing on the knowledge and insights of our global network of over 143 offices of mobility professionals to provide you with a holistic approach to managing global mobility.
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Outsourced Payroll
Our outsourced service provides valued service to over 150 separate PAYE schemes. These ranging from 1 to 1000 employees, working for micro, SME and global employers. The service is supported by the integrated network of tax and global mobility teams and the wider Grant Thornton network delivering a seamless service. Experienced staff deliver a personal service built around your business needs.
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Tax Disputes and Investigations
Our Tax Disputes and Investigation team is made up of tax experts and former HMRC investigators who have years of experience in dealing with a variety of tax investigations. Our expertise and insight can guide you through all interactions, keeping your cost at a minimum while allowing you to continue with the day to day running of your business.
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VAT and Indirect Taxes
At Grant Thornton (NI) LLP, our team helps Northern Ireland businesses manage their UK and global indirect tax risks which, as transactional taxes, can quickly become big liabilities.
Vision for Belfast requires giant leap in residential construction
04 Apr 2017The recent Department of Finance Construction Bulletin noted housing output in Q3 2016 increased by 1% compared to the previous quarter and was 3.3% higher than the comparative quarter in 2015. Housing output includes all public and private new build and repair and maintenance projects.
This increase in output, whilst a step in the right direction, is hardly a “giant leap for mankind” in our small part of the world where current output levels remain well below both historical levels and well published requirements for new build starts. Indeed new private housing output in Q3 2016 was some 69% lower than the volume reported in the pre-downturn period.
Belfast City Council has outlined, in The Belfast Agenda, what it describes as, “an exciting vision to develop a world-class city centre for the future”. This sets out the city council’s vision for Belfast in 2035 and includes a target for some 70,000 new residents in the city centre by then. For this vision to become a reality there will be a need for much higher levels of housing output than currently being achieved. In conjunction with delivery of relevant social housing projects, there will be a need for a focus on delivering more private housing. This can only be achieved by addressing key regulatory hurdles, particularly time-frames and processes involved in obtaining planning approval.
To deliver on the council’s agenda, a Local Development plan is being created. It will be vital that plan is agreed on a timely basis, does not become “bogged down” in the council chamber, links smoothly with the planning team (to ensure sufficient, relevant, sites are allocated to meet identified needs) and leverages on current investment powers of local councils. This needs to happen in tandem with investment to bring new jobs into Belfast. Workers and shoppers need modern residential accommodation, as well as viable transport links to where the jobs, shops and restaurants are located.
This is not just a Belfast centred concern as Northern Ireland’s 10 other local councils face similar issues. Individual economic development and regeneration committees will need to develop and maintain plans to proactively build economic prosperity in their local areas. Key constituents in delivering on strategic and regeneration plans will include the ability for each council to identify and release relevant land for residential development, a genuine focus on delivery of appropriate planning decisions in a timely and efficient manner and appropriate use of available external funding opportunities.
Banks and specialist funders have an important role to play in providing capital to ensure the NI construction industry can help local councils deliver on their regeneration plans but this would be a topic for an article on its own”.