Belfast City Council’s planning committee has approved five major developments, including two hotels, two nursing care facilities, and a residential conversion, council officials confirmed.

The former Halifax building at Cromac Place will become a 156-bedroom nursing home with a scanning unit, offices and landscaped grounds. Netherleigh House, a listed building that previously housed the Department for the Economy, will be converted into residential and nursing care with 36 assisted-living apartments across two new four-storey blocks.

In the city centre, Lindsay House on Callendar Street is to be turned into a 76-bedroom hotel with a ground-floor bar and restaurant. A second hotel with 30 bedrooms and a café will open on Rosemary Street, replacing former office and retail units.

The former Good Shepherd Centre on Ormeau Road, also a listed building, will be redeveloped into 28 apartments of one to three bedrooms. Plans include a ground-floor extension, reconfigured parking and a new access from Ormeau Road.

Councillor Ryan Murphy, chair of the planning committee, said the approvals would expand hotel capacity and enhance tourism, while the care facilities and apartments would help meet local demand for housing and support services.