Belfast City Council has greenlit plans to develop a £12m state-of-the-art aquarium in Titanic Quarter, a short distance from Titanic Belfast
Approval for the £12m reefLIVE aquarium was made at a planning committee meeting last night (2 September).
Keith Thomas, managing director of reefLIVE Ltd, said: “We are thrilled with Belfast City Council’s decision to approve our aquarium which has received a tremendous amount of public support since its original announcement last year.
“Our commitment to building our first reefLIVE aquarium in Belfast is testament to the City’s track record for tourism excellence and an unwavering confidence that sustained investment in Northern Ireland’s tourism and leisure sector will prove vital for the region’s recovery in a post-Covid world.”
It is anticipated that the reefLIVE Aquarium will be the largest marine-life visitor attraction in Ireland.
The reefLIVE aquarium will create 50 new jobs once operational, as well as construction jobs and apprenticeships.
The aquarium’s exterior has been designed by Ethos Architects, while the interior of the building has been devised by aquarium design team led by Kay Elliott Architects and Theme 3.
Creating an immersive visitor experience
Keith Thomas, added: “The reefLIVE Aquarium Belfast will respond to huge public interest in the marine environment, the wonderful creatures that live there and the pressures on their habitats, communicating a strong and inspiring conservation message and showing how we can all make a positive difference.
“Combining stunning aquariums and a full range of cutting edge digital technologies, we’ll tell their stories and create a stunning and immersive visitor experience.”
All species within the reefLIVE aquarium will be ethically sourced and aquarium displays and livestock will be maintained to the highest standards of animal welfare.
reefLIVE will not display any Cetaceans or large pelagic shark species due to the team’s deeply held belief that the needs of these species cannot be met adequately in a captive environment.
The aquarium is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors each year when the attraction opens its doors in 2022.
