GAA star behind new hotel planned for Newry

Plans have been submitted for a new £20 million 82-bedroom hotel and office complex in Newry city centre.

Property firm Glena Developments is behind Project Luna which covers more than three acres on the site of the former CARS of Newry motor showroom on Merchants Quay.

A pre-application notice from Glena (www.glenadevelopments.com) has been lodged with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

The hotel is estimated to provide up to 40 full time jobs when fully operational while the offices will provide office accommodation for between 300 and 500 people.

The director at Glena Developments is Damien Rafferty, who played at left full-back in Down’s championship team which lost the 2010 All-Ireland final to Cork (the Newry Shamrocks player was a key cog in the Mourne rearguard for a number of years).

He said: “We are delighted to be announcing this significant news for Newry.

“Since acquiring the site, we have been working with various stakeholders to bring the plans forward.

“And following many months of discussions, we have now a hotel and office tenant agreed.

“While we cannot reveal the names at this stage, we have been working closely with their teams on their exact requirements through our appointed Architects Gray Design.

“We look forward to working with Newry, Mourne & Down District Council and other government departments, to advance the planning application and construction.

“It’s imperative our tenants have confidence that projects can be delivered in a timely manner.”

Glena Developments is an established property development and investment company, focused on the development of derelict property and off market projects across a variety of sectors including commercial, residential, hospitality and retail.