A new 160-acre adventure park and nature sanctuary is to be built on a former landfill site on the north shore of Belfast Lough.
The plans for the Giant’s Park site were announced on Wednesday by Belfast City Council, with work on the adventure park likely to get underway later this year, subject to the granting of planning permission.
The remaining 90 acres of the site are expected to be filled by “mixed use, distribution and logistics hubs and other commercial zones”, with plans currently being finalised.
The Giant’s Park development is expected to create over 1,000 permanent jobs when completed.
The former landfill site is already home to the £20 million Belfast Harbour Studios, which opened in 2017 and has hosted film productions including the recently completed How to Train Your Dragon live-action adaptation.
The adventure park plans have emerged following the signing of a development agreement between Belfast City Council and developer Giant’s Park Belfast Limited.
Belfast Lord Mayor Micky Murray said: “The Giant’s Park announcement is a huge boost for Belfast given the scale of the investment involved and the number of jobs that will be created, both during construction and upon completion.
“The project also represents a major boost to our tourism industry which is now contributing greater economic benefit to the city than in pre-Covid times. It will play a significant role in helping the industry achieve its ambitious growth targets in the years ahead.
“The plans are giant in scale and reflect the council’s economic, social and environmental ambitions for the land, which is the largest development site in the city. Alongside Belfast Harbour’s two film studios, the Belfast Region City Deal ‘Studio Ulster’ facility and other developments being delivered by partners on the council-owned site, the overall investment will be transformative for north Belfast.”
Kevin McKay, chief executive of Giant’s Park Belfast Limited, said: “For the first time in over 60 years Belfast will see the return of public access to its coastal environment with the regeneration of the north foreshore of the city, and the creation of a unique adventure park sitting alongside a designated area of ecological importance near the shoreline where community, educational facilities and more adventure experiences are planned.
“The shoreline provides a natural and rich haven where large colonies of a variety of birds and other wildlife thrive. It has become quite rich in species diversity over the last 10 years or so creating a natural haven and feeding place for a large variety of birds and other wildlife.”
He added: “We have been working collaboratively on the design details balancing the requirement of the outdoor nature park while ensuring the careful management of the surrounding ecological environment.”
