Visitor investment for Downpatrick

Visitor investment for Downpatrick

14 August 2019

A £500,000 development has begun to revitalise two of the oldest properties in the centre of Downpatrick.

Work at 5-7 Irish Street — known locally as Breen’s Corner — will create 14 new bedrooms to be used by Denvir’s Coaching Inn. 

Planning approval to provide the off-site additional accommodation for Denvir’s was approved last month.

The investment is jointly funded by the Downpatrick Property Trust (DPT) and the Horatio Group, which owns Denvir’s and three other pubs and restaurants in Belfast and Newtownards. 

The project aims to increase the town’s tourist accommodation offering, as well addressing the issue of unoccupied buildings.

Scaffolding will be erected this week as work to reinstate the facades of the Grade B listed buildings gets underway.

The external work is expected to be finished by the end of the year with the internal fit-out completed by early next year ahead of the St Patrick’s Day festivities.

Once finished, the buildings will be turned into nine separate accommodation units with 14 bedrooms offering 20 beds in total.

It will increase the room capacity that Denvir’s can offer guests, adding to the six existing bedrooms at the English Street hostelry.

It will also provide what is believed to be the town’s 

first ground floor bedroom for wheelchair users in an office previously used by former South Down MP Margaret Ritchie.

The new bedrooms will provide a range of room layout options to suit guests staying as families or sharing as adults. 

The development — given the working name of Denvir’s Mews at Breen’s Corner — is an example of a city regeneration strategy, known as scattered development, where disused and dilapidated buildings are repurposed as guest accommodation.

Horatio Group managing director Stephen Magorrian said he came up with the idea to establish a “cluster hotel” over two years ago after he read how effectively it was being used to revitalise towns in Tuscany and other parts of Italy.

“The idea was to look at other rooms in the nearby vicinity which could be upgraded to hotel standard and to utilise a hotel’s expertise to manage the rooms from a central hub,” explained Mr Magorrian, who is originally from Downpatrick.

“We have been looking to increase rooms at Denvir’s for some time, but were constrained by the inn’s actual footprint. By working with the Downpatrick Property Trust, we are able to regenerate this building to provide a commercial interest and much needed guest accommodation in the heart of the town.”

Breen’s Corner is the third project to be undertaken by the trust.

It previously developed and later sold Maghinis House in Irish Street and also developed Britches Close in English Street as commercial and office accommodation.

The trust also invested £750,000 in the Breen’s Corner buildings when they were bought and refurbished as residential accommodation in 2004.

The last of the residential tenants vacated the building several months ago and it has remained unoccupied.

Current commercial clients which occupy ground-floor shops are not included in the development.

The trust, which is chaired by Fergus Kelly, was described treasurer Mal McGrady as “a community developer of the last resort which gets engaged when there is no private interest in developing a building or the cost of renovation would make development prohibitive for any private investor”.

He said: “We are excited by the new concept that Stephen Magorrian and Denvir’s proposed to us.

“This concept is a win-win both for Denvir’s as it gives extra accommodation while bringing back this property into use which is beneficial to the town’s tourism offering.”

Mr McGrady said that the project was important to Downpatrick town centre’s continued development.

“At present this building’s external facade is an eyesore, particularly for traffic entering the town centre.

“We will have the facility to provide an extra 20 beds in the town centre which will help provide accommodation for people on golf tours, bike tours, casual visitors and bus tours who stop at the St Patrick’s Centre and Down Museum and we believe that this will help regenerate the town centre,” he added.

The development, which is designed by JNP Architects and  is being carried out by Keelryan Developments Ltd, of Newcastle, intends to provide affordable, contemporary guest accommodation to appeal to tourists and visitors who wish to stay in the town.

Mr Magorrian said the Horatio Group would be responsible for the interior fit-out of the rooms and suites which would be leased from DPT and marketed by Denvir’s on its website and other hospitality sites such as Air bnb.

“I want the guests to be totally surprised when they come into the accommodation as it will be totally different to the exterior,” he remarked.

“Guests can either walk the few metres around the corner to breakfast at the inn or enjoy a breakfast hamper provided by Denvir’s made up with items from local suppliers.”