Planning approval has been issued for a new 152-bedroom hotel in Derry.
Councillors voted this afternoon to grant planning permission for the hotel at the Ebrington site in the Waterside area.
The new development - named 'The Ebrington' - will be located at the site which formerly housed buildings 67, 68, 69 and 79 in its former life as a military barracks.
The listed building will now be refurbished and re-built with an extension to house the hotel with 'associated leisure, function, meeting room, restaurant and bar facilities'.
The applicant behind the development, Ebrington Leisure Holdings Ltd, lodged revised plans with the local planning authority, Derry City and Strabane District Council, which came before a special meeting of the Planning Committee today.
The plans included a number of new images of how the hotel will look, one of which is pictured above.
The planning approval came at a special meeting of the Derry City and Strabane District Council's Planning Committee this afternoon.
Speaking after the decision Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Dan Kelly, welcomed the forthcoming development: “I was delighted to see today’s application progress through Committee and I look forward to seeing what will be the transformation of the historic buildings which occupy one of the city’s most strategic investment sites.
“Tourism is a key economic driver for Derry and Strabane and with bed nights on the increase the development of the new hotel is timely, and will be a great asset in terms of growing the city’s capacity to accommodate guests. The fact that the hotel is based at one of the city’s most scenic and historic sites will also be a great draw for tourists, especially with the proposed new maritime museum located on site.
“The hotel, in tandem with the additional plans for development of a temporary public carpark and a new brewery at the site, will also further enhance the potential of Ebrington Square as a desired and strategic location for other investors to consider.”
Members discussed the merits of the application in great detail at a Special Planning Committee Meeting held in Strabane. They heard that the hotel will boast a new leisure spa, function, meeting room, restaurant and bar facilities, with associated ancillary areas and site works to facilitate access and servicing.
The development will incorporate the refurbishment and re-use of three listed buildings at Ebrington Barracks with a new three storey modern infill addition between Building 63 and the Clock Tower Building 67 - 69 fronting onto Ebrington Square and a new four storey extension to the rear of the Clocktower Building also.
No letters of objection or support were formally submitted during the processing of the planning application.
The site will be accessed via the recently approved but yet to be constructed new access off Limavady Road (LA11/2017/0541/RM).
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