King’s Hall: Decision due over future of former site of Balmoral Show

The future of the King’s Hall in south Belfast could be decided at a planning meeting next week.
By Adam Kula
Published 11th Mar 2021, 07:00 BST
An artist's impression of what the new-look King's Hall will ultimately resembleAn artist's impression of what the new-look King's Hall will ultimately resemble
An artist's impression of what the new-look King's Hall will ultimately resemble

The large-scale site near to Balmoral train station used to host major concerts and the Balmoral Show, as well as vote-counting operations during election time – but has fallen into disuse in recent years.

The plans for the site cover an enormous area, and a multitude of uses.

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What is being sought by developers right now is approval for the general “outline” proposal on about half of the site, not all the detailed finalised blueprints.

The bulk of the King’s Hall auditorium itself is not part of the application – documents indicate that it is being dealt with seperately (with the ultimate aim being the transformation of the iconic hall into some kind of health centre).

Some planning permission has already been granted for parts of the site, such as the demolition of the concrete conference centre next to the main hall.

The permission councillors will be asked to grant next Tuesday is for the idea of creating a “retirement living” complex on the site, alongside a small health facility, a gym, multi-storey car park, and 81 apartments.

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Planning officials have provisionally indicated that approval should be given.

The plans for the site also include nods to its history, with a proposal for “a heritage and interpretation strategy” to be developed referencing its past ties to the Royal Ulster Agricutural Society.

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