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Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) is relocating its Belfast office to a new development in the city centre.

The consultancy firm is a major employer in the city with around 2,000 staff.

It is moving from the Waterfront Plaza building into the Merchant Square.

The company has said that plans for further investment and job creation mean it is running out of space at its current location.

The move will take place in the summer of 2020.

'Confidence in NI'

The Merchant Square complex is currently being developed by businessman Gareth Graham.

It involves the refurbishment of Oyster House and Royston House, which straddles the junction of Wellington Place and Upper Queen Street.

When completed there will be over 200,000 sq feet of Grade A office accommodation across nine floors, with space for more than 3,000 people.

Paul Terrington, Northern Ireland chair of PwC, said: "This move underlines the PwC executive board's confidence in Northern Ireland as a location and the success of the firm here.

"We will continue to grow in local, national and international markets from Belfast, drawing on the technology skills emerging from our schools, universities and colleges," he added.

Gareth Graham said that Merchant Square will be a "striking building", which will be a catalyst for the wider regeneration of Belfast City Centre.