New 256 room Titanic Quarter hotel approved by Council
Plans for a new hotel in the Titanic Quarter and a 15-storey residential development in Belfast city centre have both been given the green light by the council.
The applications were approved at the Council’s Planning Committee and will see the 256 room hotel and apartment hotel built on lands north-west of Hamilton Dock, adjacent to the Titanic Belfast attraction and the nearby Queen’s Road.
The £36 million investment – which will create 620 construction jobs and 70 new roles upon opening – will include both hotel and apartment-style accommodation, conference facilities and a rooftop bar.
Have You Got Community Ideas? Cultivating community action with the Eden Project
Community minded people across Northern Ireland, who want to make good happen where they live, are invited to apply for a special weekend at the famous Eden Project in Cornwall, to share inspiration and unpack ideas to adapt and implement with your own community.
Thanks to people who play the National Lottery, successful applicants will have accommodation and transport along with the weekend community camp costs all paid for. This camp is the beginning of a journey as part of a peer to peer network who share and support each other from various geographic areas of Northern Ireland and the UK.
Twenty people from across Northern Ireland will be chosen for this year’s intake and they will have access to inspiring talks, workshops, engagement activities and story sharing with other community activists and organisers. These can have a life-changing impact on many.
To find out more visit edenprojectcommunities.com/
Barclays Gives Generous Boost to Homeless Connect Starter Packs
Barclays Bank has donated £100,000 to Homeless Connect which will go towards supporting its home starter pack project. This initiative provides essential household items for people moving into a home after a period of homelessness, helping them to settle into their new tenancy.
The donation is part of the bank’s 100×100 UK COVID-19 Community Relief Fund that was established to offer 100 UK charities £100,000 each to support vital COVID-19 relief work in local communities.
The scheme has since expanded and has now given a donation to 250 charities.
Kathy Henry, project manager with Newtownabbey based Homeless Connect said: “Moving house is always stressful, and expensive – even more so if you’ve recently experienced homelessness. We are here to help make the transition from homelessness to more settled accommodation easier.
And in Entertainment…
BSPA’s second Summer Youth Project gets underway with a whole lot of laughs
Thirty-Two talented young performers aged 16-24 from across Northern Ireland are rehearsing for what promises to be a hilarious production of the funniest tongue n’ cheek stage show – The Producers. The show will run from 25th -27th August in the Mac Theatre, Belfast.
Directed by Peter Corry, along with Ashley Fulton as Musical Director and Adam Ashford as Choreographer the expert team will no doubt deliver the exact opposite of what the show is all about. Peter says;
“This show is based on the classic cult film in which a scheming producer and his mousy accountant aim to produce the biggest flop on Broadway – we intend to do quite the opposite! This show is absolute comedy genius and proudly proclaims itself an equal opportunity offender – it’s a show not for the faint hearted but taken as it is intended it is laugh out loud funny and one of my personal all-time favourites.”
Book tickets for The Producers now at www.themaclive.com
Jools Holland returns to Belfast
Following recent sold out shows, Jools Holland has confirmed a return to
Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on Friday 16 June 2023 with his acclaimed Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Like his previous Belfast shows, Jools will be joined on vocals by Ruby Turner & Louise Marshall and his fellow Squeeze member Gilson Lavis on drums. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 9am from Ticketmaster or waterfront.co.uk
Hear Tina Calder’s daily news bulletins on Belfast 247 – belfast247onair.com