£5m Omagh hotel development gets green light

Plans for a new £5 million hotel in the centre of Omagh have been given the green light.

The new 22-bed boutique development will be built in a 159-year-old former bank on High Street, next to Omagh’s courthouse.

Work on ‘The Foundry’, is due to start in the Autumn with the project expected to take 18 months to complete.

The new hospitality venture will feature all day dining and a basement whiskey bar, creating between 50 and 60 jobs.

The developers behind the new hotel are directors of Co Tyrone contractor Anamore, James McCallan and Anthony Marley, who acquired the building six years ago.

Mr McCallan said they will now begin the search for a strategic investment partner to help fund the project and operate the hotel.

“The Foundry will provide Omagh with a much needed accommodation offer that will support the wider tourism and hospitality ambitions held by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council,” he said.

“The new hotel will be the first of its kind in Omagh town centre since the Royal Arms Hotel closed its doors in 2002.

“The hotel will create well-paid jobs in the hospitality sector and ultimately increase footfall and dwell time in the town.”Fellow director Anthony Marley added: “It’s a big undertaking but we believe it is a project worth doing.

“We have a very good understanding of the existing structure and have already carried out significant inspection works to understand its construction.

“We are very mindful that it is a well-known local building and is of significant architectural importance to the town.”