Business

Green light for £2.5 million forecourt and retail development at Belfast International Airport

Belfast International Airport property manager Katrina Gilchrist and Canice Mallaghan from Moorefield Contracts scan plans for a new £2.5m retail and fuel forecourt adjacent to the airport
Belfast International Airport property manager Katrina Gilchrist and Canice Mallaghan from Moorefield Contracts scan plans for a new £2.5m retail and fuel forecourt adjacent to the airport Belfast International Airport property manager Katrina Gilchrist and Canice Mallaghan from Moorefield Contracts scan plans for a new £2.5m retail and fuel forecourt adjacent to the airport

A £2.5 million retail and fuel forecourt is to be built near Belfast International Airport.

A total of 35 jobs will be created and 30 construction workers employed after Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council unanimously approved the project at Airport Road, which is due to open next spring.

The airport - which earlier this month returned to list of top 10 UK airports - is enjoying its busiest ever summer and expects to exceed five million passengers this year with further growth anticipated next year.

Developer Moorefield Contracts in Dunadry will construct a 10,500 square foot retail outlet with a high street food retailer, sandwich bar, coffee kiosk, hot food drive-through, children's play area and forecourt with 16 fuelling bays.

Canice Mallaghan from Moorefield said: "We are delighted with the unanimous decision by the council in support of our application.

"Our £2.5 million project mirrors the confidence that's evident at the airport which is enjoying unprecedented passenger growth.

"It's also a clear vote of confidence in South Antrim and clearly the council has bought into our vision.

"The 35 permanent jobs will inject more than half a million pounds in wages annually into the local economy.

"We are engaged in positive discussions with a number of potential retail operators and expect to successfully conclude our negotiations within a matter of weeks."

Belfast International Airport property manager Katrina Gilchrist said: “This private investment will be a big success. We’re now back in the top ten of UK airports in terms of passenger numbers and with more than 4,000 pass holders working on the site, this welcome development couldn’t be better timed.

“Our success leads to more jobs and increased business opportunities. These are exciting times at the airport. We have more new routes about to come on stream this autumn and they will generate hundreds of thousands more passengers and friends and family to the airport.

“Moorefield Contracts has identified the business opportunity and I’m certain others will follow their example as we continue to achieve further growth and expansion.”