South Belfast to get new hotel and leisure development, while Ballymena gets bowling alley
The site for the new hotel is currently used as a surface level car park and retail and office unit.
Andras House acquired the site at Botanic Avenue in 2023 for £1.7m and last year it confirmed it is to develop a 164-room hotel for YOTEL, a London-based hotel firm. The project is estimated to be worth £17m.
The Planning Committee also approved an application for change of use from office space and storage at Adelaide Business Centre. It will become a leisure development with bowling alley, restaurant, indoor golf, children's soft play, VR zone and amusements, with parking at the site.
MK5 Ltd first unveiled plans for the leisure complex in 2022 after buying the Adelaide Business Centre on Apollo Road in Belfast for £1.35m.
MK5 is owned by Patrick Simpson, the developer behind Londonderry's Brunswick Moviebowl leisure complex.
Planning documents show that the estimated investment in the new project, in addition to the £1.35m to acquire the site, will be around £3m, with the businesses expected to create about 30 jobs.
Permission was also given for the erection of a drive through café at lands near Lidl supermarket and Olympia Leisure Centre on the Boucher Road.
Other applications approved were a council application for street art on the façade of the former Belfast Telegraph building in Royal Avenue at Donegall Street.
Councillor Ryan Murphy, Chair of Belfast City Council's Planning Committee, said: 'It's further good news for tourists and visitors to Belfast to have another major hotel development approved, this time — in the Botanic area.
'This new hotel will be close to shops, bars and restaurants and other local visitor attractions like Botanic Gardens and the Ulster Museum.
'It's also walking distance to the city centre and close to Botanic station which provides public transport links to the wider city and beyond including Lanyon Place and St George's Market and Titanic Quarter and SSE Arena and Titanic Belfast, among other great attractions.
'The Planning Committee also approved a new leisure complex on the Apollo Road, Boucher, with bowling alley, soft children's play area and indoor golf which is fantastic news for residents and families in the city.'
Meanwhile, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has granted planning permission for a new bowling alley at a cinema complex in Ballymena.
A proposal by applicant Carngore Ltd of Thomas Street, Ballymena, for renovations and an extension to the IMC Cinema to accommodate a 12-lane bowling alley and amusement centre has been given the go-ahead.
A planning report noted the premises at St Patrick's Link Road are located just outside Ballymena in 'an established leisure area' adjacent to the Seven Towers Leisure Centre.
The report said: 'The proposal is to change the use of two existing cinema rooms to provide an amusement area, further change of the existing lobby area and small extension to provide a bowling alley.
'Given the established leisure nature of the site and distance from any residential development, it is considered that there will be no impact on residential amenity or human health and well-being."
The report stated that NI Water has recommended refusal. However, there is no proposed change to the existing water and sewerage facilities.
'Given the extensive parking on-site and adjacent at Seven Towers Leisure Centre, there is no need for any additional parking or traffic assessments.' There is no amendment to the access, it was noted.
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