Two new hotel projects approved for Belfast

Belfast City Council has agreed to back two further new hotel projects for the city centre bringing the number of multi-million pound hotel investments approved by the council in just nine months to a grand total of six.

The latest hotel developments granted planning permission by the council are expected to deliver 700 additional hotel beds and another welcome boost for the local construction sector.

The projects include a new 179-bedroom hotel in Hope Street and an extension to the Ten Square Hotel, which is owned by Paddy Kearney's Kilmona Holdings, on the corner of Linenhall Street and Donegall Square South.

On Tuesday night councillor Matt Garrett, chair of Belfast City Council's planning committee, said the fact the council had moved so quickly on the planning applications was a positive example of the benefits delivered by the transfer of planning powers to local authorities earlier this year.

Other new hotels that have received planning permission in recent months include the former Harland and Wolff headquarters building in Titanic Quarter and Hastings Hotels' planned £30 million transformation of the well known Windsor House building in Bedford Street into the Grand Central.

Belfast Metropolitan College’s former campus in Brunswick Street is also set to be the location for a new hotel development as is an office complex in Victoria Street.

Last night the council also gave the green light to what will be Belfast’s first purpose-built managed student accommodation in the city.

UniCiti, a British property company which specialises in student accommodation, is to develop a £45 million scheme at Great Patrick Street and York Street, near to the Ulster University’s new city centre campus.