OLYMPIC'S sister ship Titanic is to be commemorated at a new heritage centre in the city where she was built.

The project in the former shipyard area of Belfast, known as Titanic Quarter, will be the biggest development in Northern Ireland's history and could take 20 years to complete.

The proposals include more than 3,000 homes, offices, commercial areas and a heritage project at the site where Titanic was built. It could provide up to 20,000 jobs.

Last month Southampton city leaders backed plans for a world-class £4.6m heritage centre, which will be based around the sinking of the Titanic. The infamous ship sailed from the city on its ill-fated maiden voyage in 1912.

The museum, which will tell the story of Southampton's maritime past, will be built on a site at the lower end of High Street. The centre is likely to be completed by 2010, in time for the centenary of the tragedy, which claimed 1,500 lives including hundreds of passengers and crew members who lived in the city.

Experts believe the museum would pull in 100,000 visitors and make almost £250,000 every year for the city.

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