The Crumlin Road Courthouse in Belfast is to be redeveloped, at a cost of £25 million, into a luxury hotel by Signature Living Group, the first of five planned hotels that it will bring to Belfast over the next three years.
Signature Living Group, which was founded in 2008, plan to reserve the heritage building, which was built in 1850, reports RTÉ.
Chairman Lawrence Kenwright said: "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. 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."
