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Dunluce Centre: Former Portrush tourist attraction sold for £1.25m

BBC Dunluce Centre in PortrushBBC

A former tourist attraction in Portrush has been sold for £1.25m after years of setbacks including a fire in 2022.

The Dunluce Centre, once one of the north coast's top tourist attractions, closed its doors in 2013.

This was due to falling visitor numbers.

Local councillors were recently informed at a full council meeting that it has now been sold to County Donegal businessman Colm O'Donnell.

A spokesperson for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said the site will be transformed into an all-year round family entertainment centre.

It will include indoor and outdoor rides, amusements, a soft play area, mini-golf and a food court.

"The planned redevelopment will bring this long vacant premises back into economic use and help further strengthen the already diverse visitor offerings in Portrush," a spokesperson said.

The site has been put on the market a number of times over the years.

In 2022 it was reported that a hotel developer offered £1.5m for the Dunluce Centre site, but the council said the developer was unable to provide proof of funding within the set timeframe.

At the time, elected representatives said they were not made aware of the offer.

Norman Hillis Fire at Dunluce CentreNorman Hillis
Almost 50 firefighters tackled a blaze at the centre in 2022

Reacting to the sale, independent assembly member Claire Sugden said the building had caused concern for locals since it closed in 2013 because of anti-social behaviour.

"It was becoming an eyesore as the main focal point coming into Portrush," she said.

"The plans are exciting and alongside the Open next year. Portrush will be the premier tourist destination in Northern Ireland once again."

Democratic Unionist Party councillor Mark Fielding said the sale had been broadly welcomed in Portrush.

He said a planning application for the new family entertainment centre could be submitted within six months.

The developer's intention, he told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, was to "open for the late summer of 2025 subject to planning approval".

"That would be a good time to have it open," he said.