Plans for new tourist lodges in Newtownstewart

DERRY City and Strabane District Council has received plans for six tourist lodges in Newtownstewart.

The recently-submitted planning application seeks permission for three three-bed and three one-bed lodges, as well as associated site works, on lands south east of 14 Gallan Road in the town.

In an accompanying Design and Access Statement, agent Lee Kennedy Planning said the development will be outside any defined settlement limits and within the rural countryside.

The Statement added: “The site is located within the Sperrin AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and covers a largely mountainous area of Northern Ireland.

“The Sperrin AONB stretches from the Strule Valley in the west to the perimeter of the Lough Neagh lowlands in the east.

“This area presents vast expanses of moorland penetrated by narrow glens and deep valleys.

“In its south, the Burren area is noted for its lakes, sandy eskers, and other glacial features.

“The site is also located within the Northern Ireland Landscape Character Area (LCA) of the Foyle Valley which is composed of which is a broad, accessible valley located on the western slopes of the Sperrins.

“It primarily consists of farmland with strong, geometric field patterns which continue onto the slopes of the adjacent higher land.

“The limited visual impact and the minor scale of this development minimise any potential impact on the character and appearance of the landscape.

“The proposed units are single storey in height, thereby ensuring that any views from surrounding vantage points read as being visually interlinked with those existing developments and integrated into the surrounding landscape, having no impact on the rural character of the area.”