A new £15 million four-star hotel at the former Ebrington military barracks in Derry will bring a vibrancy and boost to the north west economy, it has been claimed.
The start of construction work on the hotel, expected to open in summer 2023, was marked by a visit to the site yesterday by First and Deputy First Ministers, Paul Givan and Michelle O’Neill.
The project will include the transformation of five existing former military buildings, including Ebrington’s Clock Tower, into a 152-bedroom hotel.
Developed by Ebrington Leisure Holdings, the £15 million investment includes £1.75 million in support from Invest NI and a £7.25 million from the NI Investment Fund.
Mr Given said Derry was looking to the future with confidence and a sense of optimism.
“Londonderry is a place to work, a place to invest, a place to study and a place of leisure. It is a destination regionally and nationally and, perhaps most importantly, on the global map,” he said.
Ms O’Neill said the commencement of construction was a milestone day for Derry which would create jobs.
“We are building on the opportunities created by investments such as the £250 million Derry and Strabane City Deal, the new Graduate Entry Medical School at Magee and the transformative projects taking place as part of our Urban Villages initiative,” she said.
Developer, Cecil Doherty said the hotel and spa would meet demand in Derry’s ever-increasing popularity as a “must visit, exciting tourist destination”.
Stormont Finance Minister, Conor Murphy said the development of quality hotels was important to meet growing demand while Economy Minister, Gordon Lyons predicted the new hotel would contribute more than £2 million to the local economy through salaries alone.
The First and Deputy First Ministers also officially opened the new AMP start-up business hub at Ebrington.
A 29-acre site, Ebrington was established as a British naval barracks in 1841. It was taken over by the British army as the city’s main military barracks during the Troubles before coming under the responsibility of the Executive Office in 2017.
