BELFAST pubs entrepreneur Paul Langsford launches his latest business venture this weekend when he reopens the old Titanic Bar in Little Donegall Street as 'The Bear and The Doll' in the heart of the city's gay quarter.
Langsford (45), who is director of a host of city bars including El Divino, Filthy McNasty's and the Albany, is thought to have paid more than £4 million to acquire the Frames Complex from brothers Gerard and James Magee of Gracemount Enterprises.
The unique triangular shaped island building, originally constructed in 1886, had included a bar and function room as well as a gym, pool/snooker rooms, sunbed suite, nail salon, gym and barber's shop.
The El Divino Group, which only took formal ownership of the building at the start of this month, has submitted a planning application for a proposed mixed-use commercial and leisure scheme with a ground floor and roof top bar.
It is believed a 100-bedroom hotel could also be part of a future proposal for the 36,000 sq ft property.
The initial phase of the ambitious scheme, however, opens this Saturday night with a lavish bash in the freshly refurbished downstairs bar.
Among those thought to be prominent in the launch of The Bear and The Doll is another well known pubs entrepreneur in Mark Beirne (45).
He was previously associated with companies including Life Inns, which once operated Magennis's, Opium, Milk, Potthouse and The Advocate in Belfast until its collapse in 2007 owing £948,000.
In 2013 Beirne was hit with an eight-year directorship disqualification order for his role in running Life Inns and two other companies.
At the time the court found that, among a litany of charges against him, that he caused the misappropriation of company funds in that loans were made by the company while it was insolvent, and that Beirne held on to tens of thousands of pounds due in various taxes.
He is understood to have been overseeing some of the refurbishment operations for Langsford at The Bear and The Doll, and has invited a number of guests to Saturday night's opening of the new premises.
Meanwhile Langsford's other licensed portfolio includes the Chinawhite nightclub and Rita's on Franklin Street, while he is also the sole director of Gravity Holdings Limited, which is creating a new 63-room hotel in the city's Cathedral Quarter at the former War Memorial Building on Waring Street.
Plans for the refurbishment of the building were originally put forward by Kremlin Associates, led by Andre Graham and Seamus Sweeney, following the purchase of the site for £1.2 million last year.
Kremlin Associates, which in February changed its name to Big Top Productions, had previously owned The Kremlin nightclub, Union Street and The Shoe Factory, before selling off the businesses in 2014.
Last year, the War Memorial project was taken over by Paul Langsford's Gravity Group, although it is understood that Kremlin Associates are retaining ownership of the building.
The Gravity Group was incorporated last September and another company named Gravity Holdings Limited, also under Mr Langsford's name, was incorporated in January.
Plans for the development include a ground floor restaurant and bar, alongside several function rooms and a gym. A 'spa and wellbeing' centre is also due to be included on the ground floor.
