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Irish Minister unveils Belfast regeneration opportunities
Irish social development minister John Spellar has unveiled details of Belfast’s Victoria Square leisure and retail development and highlighted the opportunities for investment in the city.
Speaking at a briefing in London for potential investors, Spellar detailed his department’s framework for the physical renewal of Belfast to expand the city centre and provide high quality leisure, retail and residential accommodation.
“Through this physical renewal programme we want to attract leading European and international brands to Belfast,” he said. “The 650,000sq ft Victoria Square development is the first phase and we are preparing regeneration masterplans for the north west and north east quarters of the city centre, which border Royal Avenue.”
The £300m Victoria Square project, being created by Dutch developer AM, will include retail, residential units, restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, a cinema complex and other leisure facilities in the area between Chichester Street and Victoria Street.
Work on site has begun, and the Kitchen Bar – situated on the site and one of Belfast’s most famous pubs – closed for relocation in June but is set to be reopened on 1 November.
The briefing last week, organised by Investment Belfast in partnership with the Department for Social Development and AM, also highlighted other projects currently being undertaken in Belfast, including an extension to the CastleCourt shopping mall to add further retail and leisure space and a health club, and several new hotels, including both Malmaison and Hilton International properties. A new Radisson SAS property opened last month.
Developer AM is also currently developing a £210m, eight-acre mixed-use scheme for the southern edge of Wolverhampton city centre. Provisionally called New Summer Row, the project will offer retail units, cafés, bars and restaurants and a cinema.