Plans to extend the Marine Hotel in Ballycastle have been submitted to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
The proposal for the hotel on North Street is for partial demolition, extensions and alterations.
This would provide an extended ground floor restaurant area, a new entrance and lobby, 14 additional bedrooms, a new roof and a function room with two external terraces.
The plans also involve the conversion of the former Marine Country Club building to 10 self-catering holiday accommodation suites.
Existing and proposed elevations from Quay Road, Ballycastle
The Design and Access Statement, submitted by planning consultants O’Toole and Starkey, describes the hotel as a “relatively modern building erected in the early 1990s”.
It is finished in a painted, roughcast render with painted, smooth render detailing. The building currently has 51 bedrooms, a 90-seater restaurant, 65-seat outside dining capacity, 40-seater coffee lounge and lobby and three interconnected event spaces for up to 400 people.
Existing and proposed rear elevations
The statement adds: “All new windows, wall and roof finishes are proposed to match the existing building, with a vertical emphasis and openings diminishing in height on successive storeys, consistent with the organisation of fenestration in the traditional buildings within the conservation area.
“The new extension and hotel entrance at the rear of the building will significantly improve the appearance of the building on approach along Quay Road, as well as the setting of both the war memorial and the listed building opposite compared to the existing clutter of existing forms that currently constitutes the rear elevation.”
Existing and proposed North Street elevations
Meanwhile, the proposed changes to the former Country Club building “will not significantly affect its overall general character and appearance”.
According to the statement, the sections of the buildings that are proposed to be demolished “make no material contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area”.
It adds: “The proposal has been designed and detailed to respect and integrate with the style and appearance of these existing buildings and will improve the character and setting of the conservation area and listed buildings.”