Titanic project 'to attract ferry visitors to Belfast'

Thousands of people are expected to visit Belfast by ferry in the future after the city's council approved funding for a tourist attraction.

A £97 million development to create a Titanic Signature Project has been given the go-ahead by planning officials.

Belfast City Council is to invest £10 million into the project and work on the scheme is set to start next month.

Diane Dodds, chairperson of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee at the council, said that the project is expected to attract an additional 400,000 people to take the ferry to Belfast.

"This is Belfast's moment. Our unique history and a future full of promise have come together to create a city bursting with energy and optimism," she said.

"New things are happening, there is a determination to keep what is good and change the things that could be better. A vibrant mix of old and new is a visual proof of a dynamic city reinventing itself."

The Titanic was built in the city at the Harland and Wolff shipyard.