A new building comprising of holiday apartments designed for tourists is being planned for the city centre.
The new development will be located at lands to the rear of a new 116-bedroom Holiday Inn Express Hotel, which is currently under construction at the site of former Strand Bar and Flamin’ Jacks complex on the corner of Strand Road and Great James Street.
The site, which takes in lands between numbers 6a and 8, Great James Street, will be made up of a short-let tourist apartment suite development with 22 suites.
The proposal came to light in a recent planning application lodged with the local planning authority, Derry City and Strabane District Council.
Speaking to the Derry News, Brendan Duddy, of Glen Road Properties Ltd, the applicants behind the development said that the new apartments would be a ‘unique’ offering in the local tourism market.
“We’re starting off with 22 new suites, pending planning approval, which we then hope to increase to 50 suites,” he said.
“This is something that hasn’t really been done before in Derry, where people can stay at a high-quality apartment suite, specifically designed for the holiday market.
“Each suite will sleep four people, and they will be finished to a very high-level with great facilities, and there will also be a small gym in the building.”
Mr Duddy added that it was hoped work would start on the new apartment suites prior to the completion of the Holiday Inn Express, which he said was due to be completed this autumn.
“We’re hoping to start work on the new apartments in the next six months, definitely before the completion of the hotel,” he said.
“Once work begins, we’re looking at a 12 to 18-month timescale depending on planning approval coming back.”
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