CROSSGAR could be in line for a major new housing scheme, if ambitious development proposals are given the green light.
Planning permission is being sought to bulldoze the former Villager restaurant and bar, with the car park at the rear also included in the development plan for 20 new apartments.
Sixteen of the proposed apartments will be two-bed properties with the remaining four featuring just one bed.
The site borders Downpatrick Street and Kilmore Street and papers lodged with local planners confirm that the two-storey former bar and restaurant ceased trading five years ago.
There are three elements to the Crossgar proposal which include the demolition of the existing pub and restaurant, the construction of new residential apartments and the creation of new amenity space, landscaping, clothes drying and bin storage facilities.
The company behind the proposal is confident that it can make a positive contribution to Crossgar’s streetscape.
Seventeen car parking spaces will be provided in a courtyard at the rear, with four of these overhung by first and second floor apartments.
Developers argue that the shortfall of spaces can be accommodated at nearby off-street parking in Downpatrick Street.
The development proposal also includes planting a number of trees along Kilmore Street with developers confident that the planned investment represents a “high quality scheme that will represent a quality, residential environment appropriate to its prominent location”.