Armagh jail is to be converted into a hotel
Planning permission has been granted to build a four-star hotel within the old jail in Armagh.
Armagh City and District Council gave final approval to the £23m project in the council meeting on Tuesday night. Ninety percent of the funding has already been secured.
The council says it is confident that the final 10% will be found soon, as the project was now "shovel ready".
The planning process has taken 18 months.
However, the developer - the Osborne Property Group - was appointed more than five years ago, when plans were first mooted.
The hotel will retain the features of the jail, with each en suite bedroom created from joining three cells together.
As well as the boutique hotel, the jail development also includes public spaces, 28 apartments, restaurants, commercial space and a heritage and community centre.
As for Armagh having the visitor numbers to sustain a significant new hotel, Armagh council chief executive John Briggs said: "The developers have done their sector analysis and they're confident that this hotel will work."
Osborne Property Group is putting in 40% of the project costs and £2.3m has been committed by the council. The Department of Environment, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and the Heritage Lottery Fund are among other funders, but until the final 10% of funding is found the project cannot start.
With such a significant amount of the funding coming from public bodies, Mr Briggs said the council would ensure it makes some of that money back.
"Obviously the hotel developer is allowed to make a certain profit but after that there's call back on the profits," he said.
"But as with many other council projects, the payback is not just on the profits of the hotel, it is the regeneration of the area."
The jail is Grade B+ listed and has been vacant since its closure in 1988, except for irregular visitor tours, filming projects, and even a pop-up restaurant in recent years.
It is presently on the Built Heritage at Risk list.
Listen to the full interview with John Briggs , externalon the NI business news podcast
