Derry's Walled City Hotel gets green light for expansion despite recommendation to refuse

Despite the recommendations to refuse, Derry City and Strabane District Council approved plans for the extension, and the retention of a rooftop extension at the hotel.

The hotel occupies the former Bank of Ireland building and is a listed building, and June’s Planning Committee approved the plans for the redevelopment of adjoining vacant units at 11 and 13 Strand Road.

Members also approved the retention of a fifth floor extension to the main building, despite it being three metres taller than the agreed height when planning permission was granted.

During the presentation to members, a Planning Officer said permission was granted for a rooftop extension of 5.7 metres, but the completed works are 8.7 metres beyond the roof-line, and it is considered that this increase “height, scale and massing results in a visually obtrusive development which is detrimental to the grade B1 listed building and does not respect the character of the immediate area”.

Council’s Planning Department received five letters of support for the extension, including one from Visit Derry, and three letters of objection, with objecters raising concerns including loss of light, loss of privacy, and also claiming tht there had been contradictory and inaccurate plans, and over retrospective permission.

In their consultation response the Historic Environment Division (HED) said the extension at 11 and 13 Strand Road should be refused as it would not respect the “intrinsic value”, character, and setting of the listed building, and would “erode the historic street-scape” and compromise an adjoining conservation area’s "special character”.

A spokesperson for the applicant said the hotel represents a £12 million investment in a city centre heritage asset, creating 74 temporary construction jobs, 24 full-time jobs once the hotel is complete and £7 million direct tourism spend.

They argued that the originally-approved, 40-bedroom hotel had "significant deficiencies” due to limited rooms and awkward sizes of rooms.

“The proposal provides 32 additional bedrooms, providing critical mass and enhancing the tourists offer and visitor experience,” they added.

In response to HED, the contractor overseeing the extension at 11 and 13 Strand Road argued that the proposal retains all attributes that contribute to the listed building’s character, while the proposed building height is significantly lower than adjacent buildings.

“There are five building within close proximity that are taller,” they said. “And in terms of conservation area harm, I don’t see where harm is created by the proposal.

“The proposal does not introduce any alien form to an otherwise uniformed historic building.”

The Walled City Hotel at the corner of Sackville Street and Strand Road in Derry city centre opened its doors in the summer of 2025.

The 4 star boutique hotel is one aof a number of new hotels which have opened in Derry over the past decade.

Tourism in Derry is on the rise and the city saw a substantial growth in overnight visitors in 2025.

The latest figures released by NISRA indicated that Derry and Strabane welcomed 399,478 overnight trips during 2025, generating visitor spend of £93,579,475.

Compared with 2024, overnight trips increased by 35%, while the number of nights visitors stayed rose by 28% to 1,206,934.