Plans for an 80 bedroom hotel at Anne Street in Dungannon have been withdrawn according to a spokesperson from the Department of the Environment.

Speaking at meeting of Dungannon Borough Council he said that the proposed development at the former Dunnes site would now go ahead with apartments and retail units in what he described as the "biggest ever" planning projects in town.

Initially the application had been for mixed use development, including retail space in 10 units, a kiosk and café, an 80 bedroom hotel and ancillary accommodation along with associated landscaping and car parking at vacant land to the north of Anne Street, Dungannon.

The issue was addressed at the March meeting of the Council, when SDLP Councillor Vincent Currie asked why proceeding were "so slow" stressing his fear that "More proposed anchor stores could pull out".

He was informed that the application had been received by the Department on 21 June 2007 and that the long time-scale was due to the considerable size of the application.

It is understood that the Department is awaiting revised plans from the developer now that the hotel has been removed from the scheme.

Source: Tyrone Courier
Date: Wednesday, 19 March 2008