A new hotel has been approved right at the heart of Belfast City Centre – the fifth given the go-ahead this week.
At the monthly meeting of the Belfast City Council Planning Committee on Tuesday, councillors gave the green light to a change of use from offices to a hotel at Centre House, 69-87 Chichester Street, Belfast.
The application by Kilmona Property Limited, Bedford House, Bedford Street, Belfast, is for a 146 bedroom hotel over five floors, from the second to sixth floor.
The plan includes an extension to the fifth floor for 17 extra bedrooms, a gym on the second floor, a goods hoist from the ground to the second floor and elevational alterations to an existing building.
The site occupies the corner of Victoria Street and Chichester Street and consists of a flat roof part eight storey, part five storey building, finished in red brick.
Previous approvals for office space and floor extensions on the site in 2019 have not been enacted.
The building currently hosts Granny Annies, the popular pub, dine-in and venue.
Kilmona Property proposes this will not change and that existing uses at the ground floor, first floor and seventh floor are all retained. Currently it is only these floors that are being used.
Council officers recommended the application for approval. There were no objections from statutory bodies except NI Water, and no representations from members of the public or businesses.
The council planning report states: “Since this proposal falls under the category of major development, a pre-application community consultation was carried out. The report states a number of people attended the event.
“Four feedback forms were submitted by attendees with some containing general support for the project while others contained some queries about the proposals.
"Queries included questions regarding car parking, how office workers in the building would be affected by the new hotel, and possible gym membership for office workers.
“Attendees showed support for the proposals, noting that it was a great location and that there is a need for more high quality hotels, similar to the proposed, in Belfast City Centre.”
Four other new hotels planned for Belfast were given the go-ahead by the city council this week. Three of them will be in the city’s Cathedral Quarter while the fourth will be in the Titanic Quarter.
Permission was granted for change of use from a museum and vacant office building at 5 and 9-13 Waring Street to a 120-bedroom hotel with a six-storey extension, single storey roof top extension with bar/restaurant and a covered rooftop terrace.
Approval was also given to alter, extend and amalgamate existing buildings to create a 20-bed hotel with bar/restaurant and associated outdoor seating area at 35 and 37 Donegall Street and 7 Donegall Street Place.
The former NI Housing Executive Offices at 10-16 Hill Street have been approved to become a 20-bedroom boutique hotel, with ground floor restaurant and bar.
Meanwhile, directly south of Titanic Belfast and north-west of Hamilton Dock located off Queen’s Road is the site for a newly approved application for a building containing 135 hotel beds and 93 aparthotel beds, a restaurant/café and bar, gym, with landscaped public realm, car and cycle parking.
Source: Belfast Telegraph (link opens in new window)