Belfast's 'ugliest building' to be demolished

A tower block which has been called one of Belfast's ugliest buildings is to be demolished as part of a student housing scheme.

Fanum House on Great Victoria Street is a 1960s former office building clad with grey concrete panels.

There have been plans to demolish it for more than a decade with plans for a hotel or apartments.

The owners have now been granted planning permission for a student scheme of 560 rooms across four blocks.

It will also involve demolishing a neighbouring office block, Norwood House.

Belfast City Council's planning committee has also approved a new hotel and the expansion of a Queen's University Belfast research institute.

The hotel project will involve redeveloping a listed former police station on Queen Street in the city centre.

It will include the preservation of the building's listed frontage and a nine-storey extension at the back.

Councillors also granted permission for an extension to the Queen's University Institute of Electronics, Communications & Information Technology (ECIT) in the Titanic Quarter.

The project is part of the Belfast City Deal, one of a number of funding packages negotiated between the Westminster government and local authorities.

Councillor Arder Carson, chair of the planning committee, said: "These approvals reflect our commitment to supporting projects that enhance Belfast's heritage, community, and economic vitality.