Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments – owned by Belfast developer, Tom Smyth – will open 120 one, two and three-bedroom apartments in the city in early January.

Mr Smyth, who launched his company with apartments in Belfast, Liverpool and Newcastle in 2017, said this week that expansion would continue despite the current, challenging environment:

‘We see great opportunity for further growth in both the corporate and leisure markets for travellers who want safe, accessible, luxury, self-catering accommodation at an affordable price,’ he added. ‘Manchester is a fantastic city with a real buzz and an excellent reputation and attitude to doing business. We are looking forward to opening there in the new year and are staying focused on our growth plans, doing our best to safeguard jobs and plan for the future.’

Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments now has 102 apartments in Belfast and is planning further expansion in Cardiff, London and Dublin.

The new Manchester units will be constructed by the Fortis Group in the Deansgate/Salford Quays area of the city.

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The scheme has been described as ‘a major milestone’ in completion of a £50m plan for the regeneration of the seaside town.

This current proposal consists of public realm developments at Marine Gardens, including external events space, cafes, seafront lawns, children’s play area and water feature; a hotel, a destination/cinema building; residential units, office space, car parking, a marketplace and refurbishment of existing buildings.

Welcoming the application, the Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey, said that it was ‘a huge step in the right direction for the redevelopment of Bangor’s town centre’:

‘We are one step closer to the £50m investment in Bangor which will create much-needed jobs, shops, offices and homes, and will create an attractive place for people to visit,’ she added. ‘Having seen the computer-generated images, it is a genuinely exciting time for Bangor, breathing life and vitality back into the heart of the town.’

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Alderman Bill Keery says that the regeneration of Queen’s Parade is critical to the future of the town and working with the council’s plans to help regenerate the Bangor waterfront, it will help to maximise the economic growth potential of the wider Borough of Ards and North Down.

“With the formal planning application now submitted, I am delighted that we are taking such a significant and exciting step forward in this important investment project,’ he added.

Bangor Marine Ltd. is a consortium made up of a number of leading companies including the Karl Group and Farrans.

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Matagorda 2, working alongside Odyssey Trust Company, started construction work at the end of October. Work is scheduled to last for 17 months with an anticipated completion date in late spring 2021-

The UK’s largest cinema operator, Cineworld, and the UK’s largest bowl operator, Hollywood Bowl, are the first anchor tenants to confirm their position at Odyssey, Belfast when it reopens following redevelopment.

The existing mezzanine level in Odyssey will be removed and rebuilt to accommodate new restaurants and bars along with an enhanced entrance to the SSE Arena, Belfast.

The bowling centre will close late in 2020 to allow for a 20-lane refit and it will return with a new operator. The cinema will undergo a rolling fit-out with minimal disruption to visitors. W5’s previously announced £4.5m investment is underway, with the reimagined W5 launching on June 6.

The build contract has been awarded to Ballymena firm, Martin & Hamilton and more than 80 construction jobs will be created during the project. The work is being project-managed by real estate consultants, Hollis.

Eric Porter, chair of The Odyssey Trust Company, says that this is the end of an era and the start of a new chapter at the Odyssey.

‘We have put in place new directional signage so that visitors will easily be able to find the temporary entrances,’ he adds. ‘This project is perfectly timed to coincide with the 20^th anniversary of the businesses. The wider Odyssey redevelopment will take place alongside the exciting plans which we have already revealed for W5.’

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Developer Gareth Graham is behind the plan to demolish the Lyndon Court building on Queen Street and create an aparthotel – a concept that involves combining the features of hotels and apartments in a building run by a hotel operator.

There are already a number of aparthotels in different parts of Belfast and elsewhere in NI, although little is so far known about the Mr Graham’s plans for the Lyndon House building – a three-storey mixed use development that currently has retail units on its ground floor.

Oakland Holdings, the firm owned by Mr Graham, owns the building and had put it on the market last year for £2.5m.

A spokesperson for Oakland Holdings said recently that the new development would meet the needs of the business community in particular.

The plans will be the subject of a pre-application public meeting, due to be held at Wellington Buildings in Belfast on Thursday.

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