A giant-themed adventure park and nature sanctuary are to be developed on a former city dump in north Belfast as part of the £100 million Giant’s Park development.
The Giant’s Park project will transform the 250-acre former landfill site on Dargan Road. The first phase of the development involves turning a 160-acre portion of the site into an adventure park.
Construction on the park could begin as early as winter 2025, subject to planning permission being granted. The first phase is estimated to have a two-year build programme.
As for the site’s remaining 90 acres, plans for mixed use, distribution and logistics hubs, and other commercial zones are being finalised.
£100m Giant’s Park development
The wider project will create more than 1,000 permanent jobs when completed. Lord Mayor Councillor 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 development also “represents a major boost to our tourism industry, which is now contributing greater economic benefit to the city than in pre-Covid times”, he added.
“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,” said Murray.
Belfast City Council and developer Giant’s Park Belfast Limited have now signed a development agreement.
Eco-friendly attraction for 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 is “a natural and rich haven where large colonies of a variety of birds and other wildlife thrive”, McKay 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,” he said.
Images courtesy of Belfast City Council
