Planning permission has been granted for a multi-million pound hotel that has the potential to be a "game changer" for a Co Antrim town.
Work could begin by the end of the summer on the £3.2million boutique hotel in Larne town centre.
The development, from MBA Inver Investments, received planning permission from Mid and East Antrim Council and is at the site of Dan Campbell’s pub and The Thatch Bar.
Alliance Councillor Danny Donnelly told Belfast Live that the hotel would create a real "buzz" in the town.
He said: “It think it’s great. It’a fantastic boost for the town. It gives tourists somewhere to stay in Larne itself. The creation of all of those hospitality jobs is very exciting as well.
“There is very little provision for hotels in Larne at the moment, there’s only the Curran Court Hotel on the outskirts of Larne, which would be down near the harbour. For Larne town itself this will give tourists who want to come to Larne somewhere central to stay. It's a game changer. It’s a very central location, it’s right at the end of the main street, so it’ll create a buzz around that area. It’s handy for the coast road and up that direction too.”
The hotel is expected to create 37 full and part time jobs, and will include a large bar, restaurant, function room and 24 bedrooms, according to George Fekkes of DA Architects.
He told Belfast Live: “We’ve just secured planning permission for the hotel and we’re now preparing to submit for reserve matters.
“It’s still early doors but it’s all very positive. It’s a complete new build. We’re working on getting reserve matters and when we did we’ll looked at getting artist impressions done and so on.”
Speaking to Boutique Hotel News, Mervyn McKay of MBA Inver Investments, said it was about giving the local community a “quality product”.
He said: “As the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland continues to thrive, we feel the time is right to build this new, high quality hotel to contribute to the continual development of Larne’s reputation as a great place to visit.
“We’re looking forward to attracting more tourists to the town while offering the local community a quality product with excellent customer service standards.
“Larne, linked to Scotland by the Larne to Cairnryan P&O Ferry route, is a great base to explore the scenic and popular Causeway Coastal Route. The location of the new boutique hotel is close to a number of great local attractions including the Gobbins, Carnfunnock Country Park and many of the vastly popular Game of Thrones filming locations which will help to draw visitors to the town.”
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