Hotel plea for new lane is dismissed

Hotel plea for new lane is dismissed

3 February 2016

ROADS officials have rejected calls for a new right turning lane into the Millbrook Lodge Hotel as part of the £50m by-pass.

The Drumaness Road hotel — which currently employs 75 staff — has plans for a major extension to provide an additional 16 bedrooms and a 16,000 square foot spa and conference centre which has the potential to double its workforce.

The inquiry was told the Millbrook is essentially an “event hotel” which means large numbers of guests arrive at the same time. Mr Brain Clarke, representing Maguire Hotels who own the Millbrook, said they are concerned patrons should have unimpeded access. 

He continued: “The proposal for the roundabout at the Downpatrick Road has caused some concerns especially at times if there may be a back-up of traffic from the hotel entrance to the roundabout.

“For this reason, we request the provision of a right turning lane. We have had a recent consultation with the DRD and it has confirmed it is indeed possible to provide this. The hotel would be supportive of this and is willing to provide adjacent lands if it would assist with the design and build.”

Mr Clarke noted sight lines provided for the realignment of the Drumaness Road do not go beyond the hotel entrance and expressed concern about the lack of financial support for land and property owners affected by the by-pass proposals. He explained Maguire Hotels had to engage an architect to look at the scheme and how it may impact on proposed access to the Millbrook.

“We request the inquiry inspector recommends the provision of a right hand turn lane at the Drumaness Road to avoid any build-up of traffic tailing back to the roundabout. We would also ask the inspector to recommend that reasonable fees incurred by the hotel in the redesign of their entrance to their hotel directly resulting from the road scheme be paid for,” he continued.

Mr Clarke added: “My clients do not object to the road in principle, but would request that the necessary accommodation works relating to the access to the hotel be incorporated in the scheme design. My clients are willing to work with the DRD’s design consultant and provide additional land should it be required.”

Roads official, Mr Eoghan Daly, said the DRD has tested the ability for a right turning lane to be included in the scheme and had checked with its development control section for the area who confirmed it would be content with the standard of the scheme as it is currently proposed which does not include such a feature.

“The hotel has a planning application in the system for a spa. Within the level of traffic expected to be generated through a transport assessment in relation to the application, it falls very significantly below the threshold by which the hotel would be asked to put a right hand lane in through the planning process. Indeed, it would require significant expansion in the future if it was ever to trigger that point,” he added.