PLANNING officials in Newry have backed plans to develop a 40-bedroom hotel in listed building overlooking the city’s canal.
The proposal from Mamboscope Developments, which is owned by the Toner family, seeks to transform the Toners of Newry retail building into a new hospitality venture.
A new restaurant, coffee shop and gym also forms part of the planning proposal.
The development, which connects Hill Street to The Mall, would involve a partial demolition and new infill extension.
Both buildings facing onto The Mall and Hill Street have listed status.
A report prepared by officials at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council will go before the local authority’s planning committee next week recommending that the plan be approved.
The report indicates that the government conservation body, the Historic Environment Division (HED), has no objection to the plan.
A number of compromises and minor changes were agreed throughout the planning process.
Officials in Newry said the proposal will ensure the upkeep and survival, including the character and architectural merit of the building.
It’s understood that the construction phase of the hotel development is scheduled to last around 15 months.
The official decision on the hotel will be taken at the May 5 meeting of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s planning committee.
The hotel site is located just across the canal from the headquarters of Newry’s most successful home-grown businesses, First Derivatives, which employs more than 2,400 people across 15 sites worldwide.
Part of the fintech company’s long-held strategy for integrating new staff has been bringing international recruits to work in Newry for a period.
