Belfast will become "a truly 24-hour city" following a British Government decision today to approve a massive commercial development.
The regeneration of Victoria Square in a £250 million city centre scheme will see the provision of new shops, restaurants, hotel, leisure facilities, underground parking and residential accommodation.
The 15-acre redevelopment, to be carried out by Dutch firm MDC, is due to be centred on two multi-level covered streets linking to a 35 metre-diameter glass dome.
It will be one of the largest covered spaces in a shopping development anywhere in Europe.
MDC first came forward with the project in 1999, but a series of High Court challenges, a planning inquiry and the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly, delayed until today a decision by ministers to adopt the scheme.
The announcement was made by Northern Ireland Office Minister Mr Des Browne.
Ministers are particularly keen to ensure the proposals play their part in developing an evening economy in the city centre.
MDC will now have to put together a suitable package of proposals which address the financial, planning and other issues on which the government needed to be satisfied, said Mr Browne.
But he said government adoption of the development scheme represented "an important step on the road to transforming Victoria Square into a thriving city centre location, adding to the attractiveness and economic vitality of Belfast".
The Victoria Square project involves 800,000 sq feet of space - 500,000 for retail use and the balance for leisure, recreational and residential accommodation.
MDC has already signed a contract with House of Frazer to become the anchor tenant with a 200,000 sq ft department store which will be twice the size of any other such store in Belfast and one of the largest operated by the group in the UK, employing 500 people.
PA