ONE of Belfast’s best-known LGBTQ venues has plans in place to develop a new rooftop bar.
The new proposal to expand Maverick on the corner of Union Street and Donegall Street come as the popular bar and associated nightclub ‘Boombox’, approaches its tenth anniversary this winter.
Maverick was launched by John McElhatton in November 2013, marking a significant transformation of the former ‘Front Page’ venue.
The well-known Belfast publican has continued to expand and reinvent the premises in recent years, launching The Reporter bar in 2021.
The small Union Street pub, which was previously used as a keg storage area for Maverick, was opened as an homage to Donegall Street’s newspaper heritage, filled with John McElhatton’s collection of photographs, collectables and artefacts.
Maverick and the neighbouring Union Street Bar have also opened new outdoor areas in the recently pedestrianised Union Street.
Mr McElhatton’s next move is upwards, with plans in place for an expansion of his venue’s first and second floors. Most notably, Maverick is planning Belfast’s next rooftop bar.
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The planning application for the work was submitted to Belfast City Council in mid-April, but was not uploaded on the new Northern Ireland planning portal until the end of May.
It proposes the construction of a first and second-storey extension, rooftop bar and related alterations to ‘The Maverick public house’.
Industry monitor Construction Information Services Ireland estimate the value of the project at around £500,000.
