41-room boutique hotel planned for Rosemary Street

Plans have been submitted for a new boutique hotel and café in Belfast city centre, set to transform a former office building on Rosemary Street.

The proposal, brought forward by Rosemary Street Limited, outlines the conversion and extension of the existing property beside White’s Tavern, one of Belfast’s oldest pubs. The Holywood-registered company is owned by Justin McClay, also a director of Ballygood Estates, a Magherafelt-based residential developer.

The new venture would deliver 41 guest rooms and a ground-floor café, designed around a “simplistic, boutique style” aimed at budget-conscious urban travellers. Plans indicate an entrance through the existing lobby, with the café opening onto Winecellar Entry, integrating the scheme into one of the city’s most characterful laneways.

The proposed development at 20 Rosemary Street would bring fresh commercial life to a site currently containing small retail units and vacant upper floors. The design approach aims to balance modern comfort with the surrounding heritage fabric, offering a compact hospitality experience within Belfast’s traditional streetscape.

If planning consent is granted, the project would represent a strategic move into the affordable boutique segment of the local market; one that continues to show resilience and investor interest despite wider economic headwinds.

The application is currently under consideration by Belfast City Council’s planning department.