WATCH: Inside Belfast's abandoned Connswater shopping centre

An American urban explorer captured footage of the gutted Connswater Shopping Centre in east Belfast, moving slowly past sealed units and an empty food court. The centre was placed into receivership and remaining tenants were told the mall would close on 21 March 2025. 

The footage matches reporting that described the complex as the "eerie remains" of a once busy retail hub, drawing visitors and urban explorers from as far away as the United States. The Belfast Telegraph called the site an attraction for so called explorers who come to document its decay.

Connswater opened in the 1980s and at the time of the receivership it covered about 162,000 square feet with 52 units, though fewer than half of those shops remained trading. Receivers from BDO NI said "having assessed viability" they had "unfortunately given notice to the remaining tenants" and would support them through the transition.

Locals and politicians voiced a mixture of sadness and resignation. East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson described it as a "sad day" and urged engagement with owners to find a future use, while shoppers and staff interviewed nearby said the centre had been in visible decline for years, the BBC reported.

The YouTube video presents the mall as a time capsule of retail decline. Empty display racks, closed shutters, and the occasional abandoned promotional stand become features in footage that frames the building as both haunting and photogenic for online audiences. The Belfast Telegraph report noted that the unusual tourism from overseas urban explorers is a modern twist on the mall story. 

Economic forces are the blunt explanation for Connswater's fate. Management and local business groups cited the loss of anchor tenants and a difficult retail market as reasons for the closure, and a spokeswoman said the centre had been "more than just a shopping destination" and was nonetheless no longer sustainable. Receivers said they would assess potential future uses and market the site for sale.