Victoria Square Belfast Wins Planning Consent for Aquarium-Themed Visitor Attraction to Revive Empty Units
Victoria Square, Belfast's flagship city centre shopping complex, has secured planning consent to transform a cluster of vacant hospitality units into an integrated digital technology aquarium-themed visitor attraction, in a development that its owners say will boost footfall, create employment, and add a new dimension to the city centre's leisure offering.
Background
Victoria Square opened in 2008 as the centrepiece of a major regeneration effort in Belfast city centre, anchored by a distinctive glass dome and a mix of retail, dining, and cinema. For much of its first decade, it was considered a success story for the city, drawing shoppers and visitors to an area that had been blighted by decades of Troubles-era security measures and subsequent underinvestment. However, like many large retail developments across the United Kingdom and Ireland, Victoria Square has faced significant challenges in recent years as the hospitality and retail sectors have contracted.
The units formerly occupied by TGI Fridays and Frankie and Benny's, located on level two near the Odeon Cinema, have been vacant for some time following the closure of those chains. The loss of anchor hospitality tenants has created a visible gap in the centre's offer, and the owners, CGI Victoria Square Limited, have been exploring options to repurpose the space in a way that would attract a different type of visitor.
The aquarium-themed concept is part of a broader trend of integrating immersive leisure and entertainment into traditional retail environments, a strategy that has been adopted by shopping centres across Europe and North America as a response to the structural decline of high street retail. Victoria Square has already made progress in this direction, attracting tenants including Lego and Sephora in recent years, but the aquarium project represents a more ambitious step into the experiential leisure market.
Key Developments
Belfast City Council's Planning Committee has approved the application, overruling objections from NI Water, which had cited network capacity issues in the area and argued that the development could negatively impact the environment and existing properties due to pressure on the sewer system. Council planners concluded that NI Water had failed to provide robust, project-specific evidence for its concerns, and noted that there was spare capacity in the system because several previously approved developments in the area had never been constructed.
The approved development will occupy the former restaurant units on level two, extending into level three, and will incorporate a new glazed entrance area along with retail space for merchandise. Architects Ostick and Williams have designed the scheme to appeal to a broad demographic, including families and corporate event attendees, through a modern social and immersive experience. Planning consultancy TSA described the venue as intended to provide a "contemporary social and immersive experience" that would complement the existing cinema and retail offer.
The development is distinct from a separate proposal for a marine tourist attraction in Belfast that was mooted by ReefLIVE Ltd in 2019 but never progressed. The Victoria Square project is a digital and technology-led concept rather than a traditional aquarium with live marine animals.
Why It Matters
Belfast city centre has been navigating a difficult period of transition, with the closure of several major retail and hospitality anchors leaving visible gaps in the urban fabric. The success of the All-Ireland Fleadh in August 2026, which attracted an estimated 1.65 million visits to the city centre over eight days and generated approximately £53 million for the local economy, demonstrated the potential of experiential events to drive footfall and spending. The Victoria Square aquarium project is a permanent rather than temporary addition to the city's leisure offer, and if it performs as its developers hope, it could provide a model for the repurposing of other vacant units in the centre. The planning decision also sends a signal that Belfast City Council is willing to support innovative uses of city centre space, even where there are objections from statutory bodies, provided the evidence base for those objections is not sufficiently robust.
Local Impact
For the city centre, the development represents a potential boost to an area that has seen footfall decline in recent years. The units are located in the heart of the Victoria Square complex, close to the dome and the cinema, and a successful attraction in that location could have a positive spillover effect on surrounding retailers and hospitality businesses. The development is expected to create a number of permanent jobs, though specific figures have not yet been confirmed. Construction is expected to begin in the coming months, with an opening date anticipated in 2027. Belfast City Council's planning officers have indicated that the development will be subject to conditions relating to operating hours and noise management, given its proximity to residential properties in the Cathedral Quarter and the Markets area.
What's Next
CGI Victoria Square Limited is expected to appoint a main contractor for the fit-out works in the coming weeks. A formal opening date has not yet been announced, but the developers have indicated that they are targeting a launch in the first half of 2027. The development will require a separate licence application for the operation of the attraction, which will be considered by Belfast City Council's licensing committee. NI Water has indicated that it will monitor the development's impact on the sewer network once it is operational.
