A Titanic-themed boutique hotel is set to be erected at the old headquarters of the Belfast shipyard where the fated Olympic-class passenger liner was built.
A planning application has been lodged to turn the former Harland and Wolff HQ into a 90-bedroom hotel, The Telegraph reports.
The project will involve the refurbishment, part-restoration and extension of the red brick building on Queen's Island in the east of the city, complete with provision of swimming pool, gym and spa facilities.
The five-star hotel plan is part of the redevelopment of 185 acres of former shipyard land in what has been named The Titanic Quarter.
The developers, Titanic Quarter Ltd, said it was "one of the largest mixed use developments under way in Europe and additional hotel space is an integral part of that mix."
"Given the enormous global interest in the Titanic and the building's close association with the ship, such a hotel will add to the Northern Ireland tourist experience," a spokesman said.
"The plans for the hotel have been devised in consultation with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and will help ensure that the building is appropriately refurbished and restored," he added.
In January, a separate application was filed for the restoration of two Drawing Offices where the doomed ship’s blueprint was drawn up.
The proposal was to make these offices available for public events.
Under the Titanic Signature Project, which aims at bringing alive the area's history, hundreds of millions of pounds are being pumped into the Titanic Quarter in the provision of commercial, residential and educational developments.
