PLANS for a new hotel at the foot of Black Mountain have moved a step closer thanks to £1.5m of funding from Belfast City Council.
The Mountainview Hotel will be a socially owned, environmentally friendly 65-bedroom hotel and will create 100 new jobs, located at the new Glenmona site on the Glen Road.
The hotel will also consist of substantial function and event facilities catering for small concerts, conferences, functions and events.
Belfast City Council has approved £1.5m of Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund money for the project.
West Belfast tourism development agency Fáilte Feirste Thiar are behind the plans and Executive Director, Harry Connolly welcomed the funding approval which will allow the next stage to develop.
"Fáilte Feirste Thiar and our partners Ortus, the Business Development Agency are delighted that we have received £1.5m from the Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund at Belfast City Council," he said.
"It will allow our plans to develop significant traction to bring forward an all new dynamic accommodation scheme for West Belfast in the form of a hotel as part of the huge development at the Glenmona site.
"It is an exciting time for West Belfast tourism. One of the big challenges over the last 20 years has been to ensure footfall of tourists to our part of the city. To do that, we need things for people to do and places for them to stay, to eat, drink and have fun.
"We need more accommodation and this hotel will help improve that.
"The funding will allow us to take a big step forward and we will spend the rest of 2024 developing our plans further."
The Mountainview Hotel is expected to open to coincide with the redevelopment of Casement Park, which is set to host a number of games of UEFA Euro 2028.
Other West Belfast projects that will receive funding as part of the Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund are:
- Michael Davitt’s GAC – Michael Davitt’s Community Heritage Centre
- Glór na Móna – Croí na Carraige – ‘The Heart of the Rock’ Phase 1
