Belfast gives green light to £12m aquarium project

A £12m aquarium project, set to be built in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, has been given the green light by the city council.

The new reefLIVE development will go ahead at a site on the Queen’s Road, opposite the Titanic hotel and a short distance from the Titanic Belfast attraction.

Keith Thomas, managing director at reefLIVE Ltd says he’s delighted with local planners’ decision to give the new project the go-ahead

‘Our commitment to building our first reefLIVE aquarium in Belfast is testament to the City’s track record for tourism excellence and an unwavering confidence that sustained investment in Northern Ireland’s tourism and leisure sector will prove vital for the region’s recovery in a post-COVID world,’ he said yesterday (Wednesday).

It is envisaged that the reefLIVE Aquarium will be the largest marine-life visitor attraction on the island of Ireland. The attraction will create up to 50 new jobs when it opens its doors in 2022 and should bring in the region of 300,000 visitors to the city per year.

The aquarium’s exterior has been designed by Ethos Architects and its interior has been devised by a world-leading aquarium design team led by Kay Elliott Architects and Theme 3..

‘The reefLIVE Aquarium Belfast will respond to huge public interest in the marine environment, the wonderful creatures that live there and the pressures on their habitats, communicating a strong and inspiring conservation message and showing how we can all make a positive difference,’ added Mr Thomas. ‘Combining stunning aquariums and a full range of cutting edge digital technologies, we’ll tell their stories and create a stunning and immersive visitor experience.’

reefLIVE says that all the species within reefLIVE will be ethically sourced and the attraction will not display any Cetaceans or large pelagic shark species due to the team’s deeply held belief that the needs of these species cannot be met adequately in a captive environment.