‘Walled City Hotel’ at old Bank of Ireland in Derry increases to 72 rooms

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The developer of a proposed new boutique hotel at the old Bank of Ireland building has submitted a fresh application that will increase the size of the proposed tourist accommodation to 72 rooms.

Northland Construction Ltd. is currently developing a 40-bed hotel in the listed building at the corner of Strand Road and Sackville Street in Derry city centre.

However, the firm has now applied for permission to extend the hotel into number 13 Strand Road immediately next door.

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The application is for the 'redevelopment of vacant units’ at numbers 11 to 13 Strand Road to ‘provide an extension of the boutique hotel under construction’ at number 15 Strand Road.

The developer of a proposed new boutique hotel at the old Bank of Ireland building has submitted a fresh application that will increase the size of the proposed tourist accommodation to 72 rooms.The developer of a proposed new boutique hotel at the old Bank of Ireland building has submitted a fresh application that will increase the size of the proposed tourist accommodation to 72 rooms.
The developer of a proposed new boutique hotel at the old Bank of Ireland building has submitted a fresh application that will increase the size of the proposed tourist accommodation to 72 rooms.

Internal alterations and a fifth floor extension at the old bank building at number 15 will be retained if the application is successful.

And the hotel, according to the fresh application, will include a bar, restaurant, reception area, function room and 72 hotel rooms.

Planning documents submitted in support of the new application refer to the development as the ‘Walled City Hotel’.

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A Conservation & Heritage Design Strategy Access Statement and Impact Assessment prepared by MKA Planning on behalf of the application noted that the number of approved bedrooms per floor in the original application for the hotel at 15 Strand Road had had to be reduced from nine to eight ‘due to structural beams, low ceiling heights and other inadequacies bedroom arrangements have been rearranged’.

Proposed elevations of the new boutique hotel completed by ASI Architects and submitted by the applicant.Proposed elevations of the new boutique hotel completed by ASI Architects and submitted by the applicant.
Proposed elevations of the new boutique hotel completed by ASI Architects and submitted by the applicant.

It states: "The reduction in the number of bedrooms per floor has been compounded as nearly all the bedrooms on the fourth floor have no or extremely limited views and a very poor aspect due to the existing parapet wall which blocks the bedroom windows.

"The original permission provides forty bedrooms. The reduction in the number of bedrooms and the limited views/ impacts from the fourth floor bedrooms has forced the applicants to increase the size of the proposed roof extension to compensate for these unforeseen issues with the number and quality of approved bedrooms.

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"The additional floor provides additional bedroom accommodation which have none of the structural aspect deficiencies of the bedrooms within the historical structure and the hotel provides forty bedrooms.”

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However, in a significant new development the application is seeking to extend the approved hotel into 13 Strand Road which is being redeveloped as part of the overall development.

"The proposed extension provides eight bedrooms per floor providing 32 bedrooms and the hotel will provide seventy two bedrooms in total.

"The ground floor bar/restaurant/ kitchen/ reception facilities are also rearranged as part of this new planning application which extends the approved hotel into No.13 Strand Road and incorporates a function room, spill out areas, hotel reception/offices, toilets, and additional bedrooms on the upper floors.

"The proposed extension at No. 13 Strand Road also provides a smaller mansard roof extension which assists in integrating the larger mansard roof extension on No. 15 Strand Road,” the statement confirms.

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The original building was built in 1928 for The National Bank. The façade originally erected in Portland stone in 1928 survives today. The building was most recently used as a Bank of Ireland outlet until 2021.

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