THE former Bushmills police station looks set to be transformed into tourist accommodation, The Irish News can reveal.
A planning application was lodged last week by Roy Bolton for a major development at the Co Antrim site. The plans include alterations and refurbishment of the existing police station with new build accommodation to the rear to provide twelve studio apartments for tourist accommodation and incorporating a communal breakfast area and kitchen.
The old PSNI station on Main Street has been vacant for a number of years after a police estates review saw 34 of 83 station close their doors. The site was then put on the market in 2016 with a guide price of £150,000. It has previously been reported that Causeway Coast and Glens Council (CCGC) looked at buying the site and handing it back to the local community under the ownership of the Bushmills Trust, but these plans did not come to fruition.
Now the fresh proposals, submitted to the council on Monday, April 16, could, if approved, see the landmark site transformed to capitalise on the growing tourism market in the north coast.
The city of Belfast and the Causeway Coast were named the number one region in the world to visit by Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018 guide, while Royal Portrush Golf Club will be the setting next summer for the the 148th Open which returns to Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951.
