The Odyssey Pavilion in Belfast is undergoing a £17m redevelopment, which is scheduled to be finished in late spring 2021.
Construction will begin at the end of October and will create more than 80 jobs
The Odyssey will partially close in early January 2020 once the site’s set-up works are completed, but the cinema, bowling alley and W5 will remain open with new temporary access points being provided.
The SSE arena will remain unaffected. The bowling alley will close late in 2020 to allow for a 20 lane refit and will return with Hollywood Bowl as its new operator.
The cinema is due a rolling fit out with minimal disruption to visitors and Cineworld, the UK’s largest cinema operator will take it over.
The existing mezzanine level in the Odyssey will be removed and rebuilt to accommodate new restaurants and bars.
W5’s previously announced £4.5m transformation will also take place at the same time and is set to be complete for June 2020.
Corporate real estate firms, JLL London and Lisney are seeking businesses to take over the Odyssey’s free units at the moment.
Rob Howarth, director of restaurants and leisure group at JLL, said that “the Odyssey is becoming a restaurant and leisure dominant scheme which moves it away from its previous proposition as a student led destination to now being fully family focused.
“Through its new format and redesign it will connect directly to the SSE Arena, Belfast, which has over 600,000 visitors every year. This is a compelling proposition for leisure operators and we expect it to be well-received as we proactively market it in the coming weeks.”
The Odyssey Trust Company stated that the project is “perfectly timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the businesses.”
An Isle of Man-based company, Matagorda 2 is working alongside The Odyssey Trust Company to begin the construction work.
It acquired the 150-year lease for the Odyssey Pavilion during 2016.
