Omagh town centre hotel plans get official green light

PLANNING approval has been formally granted for an ambitious £5 million plan to transform the historic former Provincial Bank building in Omagh into a boutique hotel.

According to the online NI Planning Portal, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has formally granted planning permission for the development on High Street.

It will be known as ‘The Foundry’ and, in addition to 22 bedrooms, will also include a restaurant capable of seating 100 people, a whiskey bar and a rooftop health and wellbeing area complete with a hot tub facility and panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.

It has been vacant for 25 years, but will become the first town centre hotel in Omagh since the Royal Arms closed almost 25 years ago.

The developer behind the scheme is James McCallan, of the Carrickmore firm, Ballymore Services, who purchased the building six years ago, along with business partner Anthony Marley. The architect is Peter Dolan, of ADP Architects in Omagh.

Their proposal had been the subject of many exchanges between the council and the Department for Communities’ Historic Environment Department (DfC), who had raised concerns about the planned development.

But the local council has now decided to give the boutique hotel the go-ahead, subject to a number of conditions.

These include that the listed fabric of the building is retained by ensuring that all existing windows, wall-lining and decorative joinery are retained unless their removal is agreed by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

The developers must also provide detailed information and drawings for each room, clearly identifying the extent of the work to be undertaken for each element within the space, highlighting its impact on the historic fabric of the building, which dates back to the 19th century.

They must also provide final details of the finishes of the exterior and interior of the building. This is in the interests of the historic environment within the building.

The planning permission runs for the next five years.

No date has yet been set for when work will begin at the site, but developers hope that it will have a similar impact on Omagh as the Merchant Hotel has had in Belfast.

It is hoped that the multi-million pound project will create between 50 and 60 permanent and part-time jobs.