Two major shopping centres in Northern Ireland are being given significant refurbishments in projects totalling £16m.
Killultagh Estates is investing £6m in a major extension and revamp of the Connswater Shopping Centre in East Belfast while Latt Developments is pumping £10m into transforming the Park Centre in west Belfast.
Connswater’s new 40,000 sq ft extensio
n will be completed by Christmas 2008, creating 50 new jobs for the area.
The revitalised shopping centre, anchored by supermarket giant Tesco and Dunnes stores, will boast an additional four self-contained retail units and include a state of the art food-court on its new first floor. The main entrance will be transformed into a modern glass structure and an additional deck has already been added to the car park, creating a total of 850 free customer car parking spaces.
Connswater Shopping Centre Manager, Gerry Monaghan said: “Our customers are our number one priority and we hope that the upgrade of facilities provided by Connswater’s refurbishment, our opening times and our family friendly facilities will retain the great customer base Connswater already has and also attract additional customers to the centre.”
Meanwhile at the Park Centre, a new 9,000 sq ft Woolworths store opens this week with other new retailers due to open their doors over the summer when the expansion programme – which includes the refurbishment of the original mall and a 35,000 sq ft extension – is completed.
Park Centre manager Chris Newton said the improvements had attracted important new tenants by providing the kind of high quality accommodation that leading retailers require.
“The upgrading of the mall has created a bright modern, comfortable shopping environment for our customers.
“The completion of the Westlink roadworks will also provide a significant boost, improving access to the centre considerably and further widening its realistic catchment area into north, south and east Belfast.”
The Park Centre first opened in 1985 on the site of the old Belfast Celtic Football Club and was one of Northern Ireland’s first ever shopping centres.
Both the Park Centre and the Connswater Centre are managed by Colliers CRE.
The full article contains 355 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
