A BID by the Galgorm hospitality group to transform a south Belfast church into a luxury boutique hotel looks set to go ahead, after Belfast City Council said it considers the planning permission for the project to be ‘live’.
Planning approval for the 18-bed hotel and restaurant at the Holy Rosary Church on the Upper Ormeau Road, was granted on November 21 2019.
Belfast City Council initially suggested it did not hold a record of development commencing ahead of the five-year expiration deadline on November 21 2024.
However, officials later clarified that a certificate of lawful proposed use or development was issued to the Galgorm Collection just days before the deadline.
It’s understood the hotel group is still planning to progress with the £8m hotel development at some stage.
But when that might happen is not clear.
The attentions of the hospitality group, named for its flagship Co Antrim hotel resort, have turned to developing its two recent acquisitions – the Roe Park Roe Park Resort in Limavady and the Galgorm Castle Estate in Ballymena.
The Galgorm Collection paid £28 million for both assets in a deal announced last month.
The group is planning to spend around £22m upgrading both sites as part of a major investment in golf tourism.
Galgorm originally acquired the former Catholic Church and parochial house in south Belfast during 2017, some 37 years after it was last used by parishioners.
The group secured planning approval two years later, despite facing dozens of objections.
However, the hospitality group was not convinced the conditions stipulated by the council met with its commercial needs, and in 2023 won an appeal to extend the restaurant opening hours from 11pm to 1am.
The group successfully removed further planning conditions in three separate applications lodged earlier this year.
Alongside its two new golf assets in Limavady and Ballymena, it’s understood the Galgorm Collection is exploring the development of a brand new championship links golf course on the Antrim coast at Glenariffe.
