ReefLIVE’s decision to open an Aquarium in Northern Ireland stems from the rising tide of public interest in marine life, and the environmental issues facing species and habitats off the shores of Britain and Ireland, and around the world. A spokesperson for ReefLIVE Ltd explained:
“ReefLIVE’s Belfast Aquarium has been designed as an aquarium for the 21st century and will place the visitor at the heart of the marine environment to give them a unique insight into the amazing stories of life beneath the waves. As part of our work, establishing solid partnerships with educational institutions will be of utmost importance to us at all phases of the facility’s programme development.”
Once open the Aquarium will be the largest Ocean visitor attraction on the island of Ireland. It is expected to attract more than 300,000 people each year and help to boost the length of each tourist visit to the city. They continued:
“Belfast has become one of the UK’s leading hubs for such family friendly experiences and we see the city as a thriving tourism destination. We are confident in our decision to choose Belfast over other top UK cities for our first investment of this kind.”
The aquarium building will be designed by Ethos Architects, and subject to planning approval will open in the spring of 2021. Brian Kelly, a director at the project’s planning consultants, Turley also commented:
“Turley is very excited to be part of this innovative project and we look forward to seeing the ReefLIVE Aquarium situated in the great company of neighbouring attractions as a best-in-class education landmark. This substantial investment will support the ongoing development of the area as a distinguished tourism destination.“
A pre-application community consultation drop-in event for this ReefLIVE Aquarium proposal will be held on August 20th at the Titanic Hotel (3-8pm), it is expected that a planning application will be submitted to Belfast City Council in early October 2019.
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