Belfast’s Cityside Retail and Leisure Park is to undergo a £2m refurbishment with a renewed focus on leisure.

The new concept, known as ‘CITYSIDE EXCITE’, will provide bespoke food court and leisure space – adding to the existing 14 screen multiplex cinema, health & leisure club, bingo club and kids soft play area already in situ. Units will be available from 500 sq. ft. to 25,000 sq. ft. and works are due to be completed in June 2016.

Alongside the leisure offering, Cityside is also an established retail destination with tenants that include ASDA Living, Sports Direct, New Look, Home Bargains, Poundstretcher, Blue Inc, Peacocks, B&M Bargains, Gino, NV and Tesco.

Letting agents, Savills and DTZ McCombe Pierce, say the construction of the new University of Ulster campus – which is adjacent to Cityside – will ensure strong demand for space from food and leisure operators.

Claire McAnallen, Associate Director for Savills Retail commented;

“The new University of Ulster campus is expected to accommodate approximately 15,000 students by 2018. With Cityside Retail and Leisure Park sitting adjacent to the campus, the introduction of CITYSIDE EXCITE is very timely. The new configurations will allow for a wide mix of leisure activities, such as Laser Tag, Climbing Walls, Bowling, Crazy Golf and much more. In addition, new food court space – with kiosks available from 500 sq. ft. – provides the opportunity for food operators to complement the entertainment mix.”

Located approximately 500 metres north of Belfast city centre, Cityside is Northern Ireland’s biggest retail leisure development comprising a gross floor area of approximately 365,000 sq ft of which approximately 230,000 sq ft is retail warehouse space. The scheme also benefits from 1,100 free car park spaces on site.