Plans for a brand new Premier Inn hotel in County Antrim were approved on Monday evening (18
September) at a planning committee meeting of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.
The new accommodation offering will be convieniently located metres from Belfast International Airport, benefiting travellers flying in and out of Northern Ireland.
The UK's largest hotel chain, Premier Inn prides itself in providing comfortable beds, convenience and connectivity at budget prices.
Above: Location of new Premier Inn hotel
Above: Site plan for new Premier Inn hotel
The site for the new hotel is located 250 metres from the airport entrance, on lands situated east of Antrim Road and the junction with Ballyrobin Road. Overall the proposal represents an overall investment of £8 million, and will see the construction of a 81-bedroom with restaurant and bar.
The application includes 100 car-parking spaces.
According to a planning consultation document "growth at Belfast International Airport has been on an upward trajectory for the past number of years.
"Following the fall in the value of the pound, new figures show that 600,000 visitors from the Republic of Ireland now pass through the Airport.
"Higher numbers of tourists and new and expanded flight routes have lead to the need for greater capacity at the airport.
"The success of Belfast International Airport has increased demand for more businesses and services to support this growth.
"Tourists and domestic travellers now require greater choice. With a range of flights departing and arriving earlier in the morning and later at night, there is now significant demand for some of these travellers to stay for at least one bed night."
Above: Elevations of new Premier Inn hotel
The document adds:
"We want to bring forward a new and fresh development, new jobs, and help create choice in the local hotel and hospitality sector."
The construction phase of the three-storey facility is expected to support 30 jobs, create an estimated £4 million of indirect benefits through the construction supply chain and £0.5 million of 'induced benefits' to the local community.
Upon completion and at operation phase the new Premier Inn will support 30 full-time equivalent jobs, creating £500,000 annual wages, and yielding £2 million+ in annual supply chain contracts.
Above: CGI view of new Premier Inn hotel from Antrim Road looking eastward towards the site
Graham Keddie, Managing Director, Belfast International Airport backed the application and said:
"This hotel will inject almost £500,000 in wages into the Antrim economy every year. Thirty construction jobs will be sustained in this £8 million investment. That's a big boost to Antrim and further afield. It also means we'll have competition in the hotel sector where the customer will be winner."
Premier Inn have hotels in six other locations in Northern Ireland including Carrickfergus, Lisburn, Londonderry and three in Belfast.