Beannchor Group submits plans for new development

Belfast’s Beannchor Group has submitted plans for its latest hotel and hospitality development in the city centre.

The group, which owns well-known properties such as the Merchant and Bullitt hotels, as well as the Little Wing pizzeria chain, is seeking approval for a new fine dining restaurant and a 41-bedroom aparthotel on Ann Street, located next to Dunnes Stores’ city centre complex.

The proposal also includes the creation of several bars along the historic Crown Entry, which connects Ann Street to High Street. The site currently hosts Beannchor’s Little Wing restaurant, the Spoon Street dessert bar, the former Love & Death cocktail bar, and two retail units.

According to the submitted documents, the hospitality group plans to add two additional floors to the existing structure, providing studio and apartment-style hotel rooms, bringing the total number of floors to five. One of the Ann Street units would be converted into a fine dining restaurant, while the Little Wing space would be transformed into a traditional pub, with two new bars along Crown Entry.

The upper levels would be dedicated to bar space, with plans for a new roof terrace. The proposal also includes retaining a single ground-floor retail space, with a new courtyard providing access to the hotel lobby at the rear.

Beannchor’s existing portfolio in Belfast includes notable venues such as The Dirty Onion, The National, and Bert’s, along with several other bars, clubs, and the Out of Office microbrewery. Additionally, the group owns Jenny Watts in Bangor, The Hillside in Hillsborough, and multiple properties across Northern Ireland that it leases as a landlord.

This latest submission comes just weeks after Beannchor completed the £8.6 million acquisition of the Premier Inn hotel on Alfred Street in Belfast.