Great news for Belfast residents and visitors alike! The city's Planning Committee recently gave the go-ahead to several significant new developments set to enhance our city's landscape and services. These exciting approvals include new hotels in the city centre, crucial residential nursing care facilities, and the conversion of a historic landmark into modern apartments.
Tourism in Belfast is set for a boost with the approval of two new city centre hotels. The first will see Lindsay House on Callendar Street transformed from its current fast food, retail, and office uses into a modern 76-bedroom hotel, complete with a ground floor bar and restaurant. Additionally, Rosemary Street will welcome a new 30-bedroom hotel, converting existing office and retail space and featuring its own café and facilities. These additions will provide more choices for visitors and support our vibrant city economy.
Meeting the growing demand for care services, two new residential nursing care facilities also received approval. Cromac Place, on the site of the former Halifax building, will be converted into a spacious 156-bedroom nursing home, including an ancillary scanning unit and new landscaping. Furthermore, the Grade B1 listed Netherleigh House, once the Department of the Economy headquarters, will undergo a transformation from office space into residential and nursing care facilities, featuring an extension and 36 assisted living apartments across two four-storey blocks. These developments will ensure more local people have access to quality care when they need it.
In other positive news, the former Good Shepherd Centre, another Grade B1 listed building, is set for a new lease of life. It will be converted into 28 residential apartments, offering a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom units. This project includes a ground floor extension, reconfigured external layout, updated parking, and new access from Ormeau Road, providing much-needed housing in the south of the city.
Councillor Ryan Murphy, who chairs the Planning Committee, highlighted the widespread benefits of these approvals. He emphasised that these projects will provide vital accommodation for both residents and visitors, bolstering Belfast's tourism infrastructure and offering a wider array of hotel options. He also noted the positive impact of the new apartment dwellings and the crucial role the new residential care facilities will play in meeting demand and supporting older people in our communities. These decisions truly reflect a commitment to a thriving and caring Belfast.