Plans for an 81-bedroom Premier Inn Hotel close to Belfast International Airport have finally been cleared for take-off.
Originally launched in 2017 by Moorefield Hospitality Ltd and Premier Inn, it first secured planning permission in 2020, but didn’t progress following the pandemic outbreak.
Moorefield was later acquired by Gary Turkington and Mark Dundas, both senior directors in the Portadown-based JH Turkington & Sons business, who revived the plans in early 2023.
However, the £5.5 million development on a 20-acre site on the Antrim Road, located close to the Maldron Hotel and Belfast International Airport’s long stay car park, never got started, and revised plans had to be submitted.
But the application has finally now been passed by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s planning committee.
The construction phase is expected to support 30 jobs across a 12-month period and will include an on-site food and beverage offering, dedicated parking facilities, landscaped grounds and improved site access.
A new pedestrian link, complete with dropped kerbs and tactile paving will also be added to connect the hotel with Belfast International Airport.
Antrim and Newtownabbey mayor Neil Kelly said: “This is great news for the ongoing development of the wider International Airport infrastructure and, consequently, local employment opportunities during construction and ongoing operations.
“Once completed, the hotel will be a welcome addition for travellers and underscores the Airport’s and Borough’s status as a gateway for visitors into Northern Ireland.”
The council’s planning committee chair Jeannie Archibald-Brown added: “This significant investment in a prime location will be a valuable asset to our borough, strengthening Antrim and Newtownabbey’s position in making Northern Ireland an outstanding destination to visit.”
Latest accounts for developers JH Turkington show that the company’s turnover in 2023 rose by more than £3 million to £29.4 million and its bottom line profit increased to £3.2m. It employs 79 people.