Planning approval has been granted for a £47 million clinical research facility beside Belfast City Hospital.
The Institute of Research Excellence for Advanced Clinical Healthcare (iREACH Health) is a Queen’s University-led project included in the Belfast Region City Deal.
Around £40m has already been announced for the project from the city deal funding pot.
A £170.8m city deal package was confirmed for three QUB-led projects in 2022.
At the time, former economy minister Gordon Lyons said iReach will seek to “bring various stakeholders into an ecosystem for testing new drugs through their development life cycle and integration into care pathways”.
The project, which involves demolishing the Russell Court buildings on the Lisburn Road, will see new research facilities built on either side of the Lisburn Road.
Originally opened as a 12 storey hotel in 1972, Russell Court was significantly damaged in bomb attacks before closing in 1976.
It was later converted to social housing and was most recently used by the Radius Housing Associating.
Around 60 residents were permanently vacated from one of the blocks during 2018 due to fire safety concerns.
Residents were allowed to remain in the second block, which also contains office space.
Belfast City Council’s planning committee approved Queen’s University’s proposal on Tuesday night to clear both blocks and erect two new buildings featuring 90,000 sq ft of “unified clinical trial and research space” over four and five storeys respectively.
The plans also include a new bridge link from one of the new buildings to the adjacent City Hospital.
Queen’s University said iReach will create a joined-up pathway for contract research organisations, the health service, clinical research networks and real-world studies.
The economic case made by the university estimates iReach will create 964 permanent jobs, but that figure includes “direct, indirect and induced” roles.
The university also states the facility has the potential to generate £60.3m in annual GDP, resulting in a £10.1% productivity uplift over 10 years
In a statement, Belfast City Council said: “iREACH Health is funded through the Belfast Region City Deal programme of investment and will provide an NHS, industry and research facility beside Belfast City Hospital, facilitating world-class clinical research to deliver better treatments to improve people’s health.
“iREACH Health will develop and test medicines, technologies and therapies to deliver better health and wellbeing outcomes to people in Northern Ireland and beyond.”
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s meeting of Belfast City Council’s planning committee also approved a proposal by Limelight Belfast Ltd to transform the former printing hall at the Belfast Telegraph’s old Royal Avenue offices into a new conference centre.
The green light was given for 33 dwellings at the former Belvoir Park Hospital site in south Belfast.
A separate bid for 55 social and private apartments at Gaffikin Street in the Sandy Row area was also approved.
