By Ryan Sands
PLANS for a ‘luxurious, high-end design hotel and restaurant development’ on Newcastle’s Main Street have been earmarked for refusal.
An application for the town centre site – which proposes the demolition of Gallagher’s Sports Bar and the neighbouring Pure Chic, and their replacement with a 14-unit apartment hotel, restaurant and golf storage area – was submitted by Arlington Hotel (NI) Limited in April 2023, and council planners have now recommended that this be turned down.
The official planning report has yet to be published, though recent correspondence from the Department for Communities’ Historic Environment Division (HED) illustrates its opposition to the proposal.
In a consultation response sent to the council, HED voices concern about its ‘close proximity to and its impacts upon’ the nearby Grade B2 listed Newcastle Presbyterian Church, which it states is ‘of special architectural and historic interest and is protected by Section 80 of the Planning Act (NI) 2011’.
In its latest correspondence – the last item relating to this application that has been published online (30 September) – it requests further information from the applicant’s agent.
An earlier response by the agent had said that a massing study had ‘illustrated the scheme did not obscure the views towards the Mournes or Newcastle Presbyterian Church’, and that, already from certain viewpoints along the street, ‘the view of the church spire becomes fully obstructed by existing infill buildings’.
A design statement for the proposal highlights that the development site extends to the rear to include two properties on Valentia Place.
It also states that the hotel will be ‘a scheme of architectural quality that will contribute positively to the existing and emerging townscape’.
‘The luxurious, high-end design hotel and restaurant development will offer a unique blend of style, comfort, and class,’ the document reads.
‘The new development will breathe new life into the area, providing a boost to the local economy and attracting international tourists, including golfing enthusiasts to experience the beauty of Newcastle, County Down and the surrounding areas.
‘The hotel will be a welcome addition to the area, seamlessly fitting into the surrounding context on Main Street and providing regeneration to the area through job creation and renewed interest in the local area.’
The statement adds that ‘the deteriorating condition of the existing buildings highlights the need for redevelopment’, and that the design inspiration has been ‘drawn from the architectural style and uniformity that once existed along Main Street’.
‘The proposed hotel building has been designed with consideration with its context, and set-backs have been created to the uppermost floor to reduce the impact from street level to both Main Street and Valentia Place,’ it reads.
‘The main entrance to the hotel and restaurant is accessed via Main Street.
‘The restaurant will provide a high-quality offering to the local community, with the hotel attracting international and domestic tourists.
‘First and second floors will comprise of five double bedroom apartments, and the set-back third floor will comprise of three double and one single apartments.’
