A LANDMARK Belfast listed building is set to benefit from further redevelopment.
Less than a year after a coffee shop opened on the ground floor of Pearl Assurance House on Donegall Square East, major plans have been submitted for refurbishment of the rest of the premises, which could create 50 new jobs.
The proposals, being brought forward by Brian McConville's MJM Group Holdings subsidiary, MJM Pearl, are for a new restaurant in the vacant basement of the property.
The plans, submitted earlier this year, also include an additional 2,500 sq ft of gross office space on first to fourth floors and the change of use from an office to a new apartment on the fifth floor.
If approved by Belfast City Council the development could create an additional 50 jobs, according to the planning application.
The proposed major development comes less than a year after two well-known Belfast restaurateurs opened Pearl's café on the ground floor of the city centre building.
Neil Johnson, who runs Graze in Ballyhackamore and Joe Baillie of Sozo on the Antrim Road initially secured the ground floor on an 18-month lease and invested around £30,000 fitting it out, creating 19 jobs.
Speaking in June last year to The Irish News, Mr Johnson said if the venture is a success there is potential for the Pearl's brand to expand, with at least one additional outlet on the cards in the future.
"We're trying to develop ourselves as a brand and one of our long-term goals would be when the new (Ulster) university opens up to open another in that area," he said.
