The entrepreneurs behind Derry City’s Brunswick Moviebowl leisure complex have progressed a bid to bring their successful business model to Belfast, with a new £3 million investment in the south of the city.
MK5 Ltd originally unveiled plans for a new family-themed leisure project in 2022, shortly after acquiring the Adelaide Business Centre site on Apollo Road for £1.35m.
The company, owned by Patrick Simpson, has now formally submitted a full planning application for the project, which proposes a bowling alley, alongside a restaurant, an indoor golf venture, a children’s soft play, amusements and virtual reality (VR) zone, next to the Boucher Road.
Alongside the Brunswick Moviebowl, the interests of Donegal native Patrick Simpson, and his brother Edmund, include Foyleside Shopping Centre, Da Vinci’s Hotel in Derry and Belfast hotels Benedicts and The Landsdowne.
Documents submitted in support of the Apollo Road application estimate the total investment, including development works, construction and employment costs, will be in the region of £3m, on top of the £1.35m to acquire the site.
The new leisure business is expected to create around 50 jobs.
The former factory site, which was redeveloped into business units in the 1990s, is currently occupied by a number of tenants, including We Buy Any Car, Clear Pharmacy and the IFA.
Located between the Boucher Road and Windsor Park stadium, the site was previously the subject of a failed bid by Paddy Kearney’s Kilmona Group to build a new aparthotel.
The £23m proposal for a 87-unit project was rejected in 2020 due to a lack of wastewater treatment infrastructure in the area.
A report submitted in support of the MK5 application states that “a viable solution with NI Water” has been reached, with the developer committing to delivering the scheme in under a year of permission being granted.
It comes as the Simpsons prepare to embark on a significant expansion of their flagship complex in Derry’s Pennyburn Industrial Estate.
Planning approval was granted just over a year ago for the project, which will introduce a new ‘mini golf course’ and games arcade.
Preparatory work to facilitate the expansion is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
The bid for the south Belfast bowling alley comes as Leeds-based leisure operator Roxy Leisure announced plans to bring its King Pins franchise to Belfast city centre.
It’s understood the new venture, which is expected to feature a restaurant, has set its sights on the second and third floors of The Keep development on the former BHS site on Castle Lane.
The Keep’s current tenants include H&M, Deichmann and Apple.