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.

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If approved, the new 280-bedroom hotel will be the first investment in Northern Ireland for the London-based JMK Group.

Designed by RMI Architects in Belfast, the new hotel will open in the summer of 2021. A brand has not yet been confirmed, but JMK Group currently works with Hampton by Hilton and Holiday Inn among others.

Referring to the project as ‘a strategic investment’, a spokesperson for JMK said recently that the company believed the growth of tourism in Belfast and Northern Ireland promised ‘an exciting future’:

‘Titanic Belfast is among the leading tourist destinations in the world, so we are confident that tourism will continue to be an engine of economic growth for Belfast. That’s why we are investing in that future, tailoring our offer to the needs of the city,’ added the spokesperson.

Belfast-based Turley is acting as planning consultant for the project and speaking to LCN recently, its director of strategic communication, John Davison, confirmed that while demand for hotel accommodation had now largely caught up with the recent surge in provision, growth forecasts indicated that there would be a need for more rooms in the future.

The new hotel will include 100 rooms specifically designed for use by families and Mr Davison believes this will be key to its success:

‘I don’t have specific figures in front of me, but anecdotally, we know that there’s only a small number of family rooms available in Belfast that offer the kind of floor space that families really need,’ he said. ‘This hotel is going to fill that gap in the broader Belfast market.’

Brian Kelly, also a director at Turley, said that the consultancy was delighted with JMK Group’s decision to invest in Titanic Quarter:

‘This major investment will support the area’s successful evolution into a world-class tourism destination, an international exhibition and conferencing location and a hub of local, national and international business and education,’ he added.

The JMK Group already owns upmarket boutique hotels in London and in Ireland, where it has been investing since 2013. Among its projects in Dublin are a 198-room Holiday Inn Express, which opened in 2016 and a 421-bedroom hotel which is currently under construction at Dublin airport.

The group says that it is currently seeking further opportunities for development in Belfast.

A public information event around the Hamilton Dock proposal will take place in Belfast on May 9.

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