Titanic Quarter hotel bid plans downsized again
Plans for a new hotel next to Titanic Belfast have been redrawn for a third time.
The family owned JMK Group secured planning approval for a 276-bedroom hotel next door to Belfast’s biggest tourist attraction in 2020.
However, the company, run by the London-based Kajani family, redrafted its proposal in 2022 to cut the number of bedrooms to 162 and introduce 94 aparthotel units, accessible through a separate entrance.
Now, four years after first announcing its plans, the company has submitted a third planning application, this time seeking permission for a 135 traditional hotel bedroom hotel and 94 aparthotel units.
The latest incarnation also removes conference facilities, a proposed rooftop car and a central courtyard feature.
Subject to planning approval, the company said it hopes to start work in the first quarter of 2024, with the build expected to take between 18 months and two years.
In a statement explaining the redesign of the project, JMK said: “The revised design has been brought forward following a cost analysis of the existing approvals, which has shown viability challenges in the current economic climate, particularly as a result of the rise in construction and operational costs.
“JMK Group remain committed to delivering in Belfast and this alternative proposal seeks to deliver a sensitively designed, high quality, viable scheme.”
The hotel group’s current portfolio includes eight hotels in London, Dublin and Waterford.
It owns the Holiday Inn Express and Hampton By Hilton in Dublin city centre, as well as the Holiday Inn at Dublin Airport and the Waterford Marina Hotel.
Alongside its new Belfast hotel, the group has announced future plans for five more hotels in Dublin, Cork and Galway.
Meanwhile, work has started on a scheme to build 778 apartments next to the Titanic Belfast and JMK Hotel sites.
The £175 million Loft Lines residential scheme is being taken forward by developers Watkin Jones and Lacuna.
They recently secured £155m in funding for the project from Legal and General Investment Management and Clanmil Housing Association.
