Portrush: Londonderry Hotel development 'in real jeopardy'

The redevelopment of the former Londonderry Hotel was approved by councillors last January

A hotel group has said its proposed £6.6m hotel development in Portrush is in "real jeopardy" because of delays in securing planning.

The redevelopment of the former Londonderry Hotel was approved by councillors on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council last January.

That was despite concerns from the government department with responsibility for listed buildings.

The Historic Environment Division (HED) recommended refusal of the application.

It did so on the basis that Andras Hotels' plans would lead to the "partial loss of a listed building and its historic fabric".

Councillors disagreed with the recommendation from the HED and voted to approve planning permission for an 87-bedroom hotel, citing the economic importance of the development to the area.

This led to the decision being called in for re-assessment by the Department for Infrastructure in August 2019.

A spokesman has said the department "is actively processing the applications relating to the proposed development at the Londonderry Hotel site with a view to determining these as soon as possible".

'Delay unacceptable'

Rajesh Rana, the director of Andras Hotels, said it was "an important development for us and for the north coast area and the delay in approving the project is unacceptable".

"There are policy statements that do say you can amend a partially demolished listed building if there are economic or regeneration benefits which we feel we are delivering.

"We cannot wait endlessly for this application to be approved as we have other commitments we need to fulfil."

While the majority of planning decisions now rest with local councils, the Department for Infrastructure has the power to "call in" applications which have been approved against the advice of the HED, which is part of the Department for Communities.

A Department for Infrastructure spokesman said: "The decision to call in the planning applications associated with the Londonderry Hotel was not taken lightly."

It said the scheme was "an exceptional case" and cited concerns around "the council's assessment of the application of regional planning policy, particularly in relation to built heritage, and of its rationale and justification for its decision to overturn the advice of its professional planning officers".

It added that it was "called in" as the issues raised would "benefit from further scrutiny by the department".

'Seek amendments'

A spokesperson for the Department for Communities said: "HED has met with the developers, their agents and council planning officials on a number of occasions to discuss and seek amendments to the proposals which would meet the aims of the developers whilst complying with planning policy."

David Boyd, the president of Causeway Chamber of Commerce, which is supporting the development, said new hotels are needed in the area to help grow golf-related tourism.

"Our key priorities document flagged up as earlier as 2018 that we were going to need more capacity by way of hotel accommodation in the area for events like the (Open) golf and now the Irish Open as well which is coming next year," he said.

"We really have got feedback from our members saying how disjointed the planning process is and that it is difficult really to get anything passed and through planning, especially in a timely fashion."

In a statement, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said: "Council will be a consultee on the called in application and therefore could not comment."