Crumlin Road Courthouse to be transformed into hotel

Crumlin Road Courthouse is set to undergo a multimillion restoration to transform the iconic building into a hotel.

Signature Living Group confirmed it has purchased the courthouse, which is the first of up to five new hotels the developer aims to open in the city over the next three years.

The landmark heritage building dating from 1850 has fallen into a state of disrepair, but the company has pledged to invest £25m to restore it to its former glory.

Signature Living’s founder and chairman Lawrence Kenwright said that his key focus will be on preserving the architectural heritage of the Charles Lanyon-designed Courthouse, built in 1850.

“The Courthouse is currently in a state of disrepair and our focus will be on sympathetically restoring the building to its former glory in a way that is both true to its architectural heritage, and aligns with the exciting style for which Signature Living is reputed,” he said.

“We see ourselves simply as custodians of these important buildings and the Courthouse will very much still belong to the people of Belfast.

“For us, this is an investment in the local Belfast community and, as well committing around £25m to the restoration project, we will be investing in a series of community initiatives – including the launch of a special apprenticeship academy – in the coming months.”

Last month, the developer also announced that it would also bring a George Best-themed hotel to Belfast later this year and plans develop as many as four additional hotels in the city, creating at least 500 jobs.