While work on a planned £14m expansion at Belfast's successful Merchant Hotel – a former bank headquarters - is about to begin, it has been revealed that the city centre is to gain another 'landmark' hotel.
Plans for a new £10m restoration and development project by the man behind the Merchant Hotel, Bill Wolsey, involves the restoration of yet another former bank, the National in High Street.
It is part of an overall £24m expansion plan for the area which Mr Wolsey said would bring further interest and appeal to the city's burgeoning Cathedral Quarter - and together create up to 270 full and part-time jobs.
The National Hotel will be a four star development offering 50 rooms and suites featuring the same high standards as the Merchant.
It will be a mix of modern and old, with a new building adjoining the Grade One listed Victorian building and will feature tearooms.
"We think there's a market for a stylish hotel and as luck would have it we were able to buy the two sites: the site the National is on and the adjoining site, which runs into it from Skipper Street," he said.
"The Merchant is running at 83% capacity so there is a market for what we do. We think there will be a market for something that's equally as stylish but just given a slightly different direction.
"I'm confident that the National will appeal because I think we do things well here. This is a 'grand hotel' while the National will be modern and forward looking," he explained.
On foot of the expansion of the existing Merchant Hotel, with planning permission expected shortly for another 45 bedrooms and suites, a spa, a jazz bar on the ground floor and function rooms on the first floor, the owner will seek planning authorisation for the vacant site on Skipper Street shortly too.
Once again, specialist architectural practice Consarc has been engaged to oversee the project, which includes the restoration of the original ground floor facade that was remodelled in or around the early 1980s.
"We are going to completely restore the National building, taking away the shambles that the ground floor is at the moment and restoring faithfully what was there," said Mr Wolsey.
"Above that, we'll be putting in beautiful suites, similar in some ways to the Merchant, with highly ornate and decorated ceilings so the juxtaposition between that building and the new all-modern building behind will make the hotel a very interesting place to stay."
The National is expected to be opened by 2010 and will employ around 50 full-time and up to 100 part-time staff.
"I loved the idea of restoring yet another old building," added Mr Wolsey.
"It fits in with what we do. The idea of having the tearooms on the ground floor I think will work and the challenge to get the juxtaposition right between a beautiful, highly ornate Victorian building and a modern piece of interesting architecture appeals to us as well."
As part of the overall project, Mr Wolsey also revealed he has been in discussion with DRD Roads Service to "adopt" Skipper Street onto which both hotels will eventually open.
"We've been talking to Roads Service for about six months to pedestrianise Skipper Street.
"We intend investing £100,000 in street sculpture and lighting to make Skipper Street a beautiful street," he said.
(BMcC)
Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Latest Construction News
20/11/2024
MDE has been awarded the electrical services contract for the Clondalkin School Development Project in Dublin. Working alongside Cunningham Contracts Ltd., the company will serve as the specialist electrical contractor for the construction of new facilities for Gaelscoil na Camóige, Gaelscoil ...
20/11/2024
In celebration of European Week for Waste Reduction, the Northern Ireland Resources Network (NIRN) has launched an environmental education programme to promote zero-waste principles among young people. Three schools from the ABC Borough—St Francis Primary School in Lurgan, St Patrick's Primary ...
20/11/2024
Work has begun at hospital sites across Northern Ireland as part of preparations to eliminate car parking charges by May 2026. Health and Social Care Trusts are installing the necessary infrastructure for a new traffic management system, following the passing of the Hospital Parking Charges Act by ...
20/11/2024
Fine Gael has accused Sinn Féin of abandoning its commitment to protect consumers from rising energy costs, claiming that the party's policies could lead to increased costs for 2.1 million customers. The criticism comes after Sinn Féin's alternative budget last month proposed retaining the ...
20/11/2024
SDLP Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs Spokesperson Patsy McGlone has urged Minister Andrew Muir to take decisive action to protect the environment, rather than launching additional reviews. The comments came after Minister Muir announced a review into environmental governance during an ...
20/11/2024
Alliance Strangford MLAs Kellie Armstrong and Nick Mathison, along with Alliance East Antrim MLA Danny Donnelly, recently visited the tidal research experiment at Queen's University Marine Laboratory (QML) in Strangford. The project, funded by the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), is ...
19/11/2024
Phoenix Energy has been awarded an international standards accreditation from the British Standards Institution (BSI) in recognition of its inclusive service approach for customers in vulnerable situations. The certification highlights Phoenix Energy's commitment to providing fair, flexible, and ...
19/11/2024
Seating Matters is investing £3.7 million to enhance and improve its manufacturing facilities in Limavady and L'Derry. The company is aiming to support its bold strategy to triple revenue by 2027. Making the announcement while visiting the company's Limavady site Economy Minister Conor Murphy ...
19/11/2024
SDLP Infrastructure Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has urged the Minister and the Executive to take immediate action to address problems within Northern Ireland Water. Mr Durkan warned that the current state of the wastewater system is creating significant delays for infrastructure projects across ...
19/11/2024
Galway City Council will hold a public information evening on affordable housing on Monday, November 25, 2024, from 4pm to 8pm at the Connacht Hotel, Old Dublin Road, Galway. The event will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about how affordable housing operates. Council staff will be ...