Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
RIVER BANN BOAT HOTEL REFLOATED
Marina owner says 36-room tourist facility will be first of its kind in Ireland
THE on-off Lib Dem leadership race was back on again yesterday as the party searches for its third boss in less than a year.
Sir Ed Davey has been holding the reins since Jo Swinson lost her seat in December’s general election, months after she replaced Sir Vince Cable in a contest last summer.
The race had been due to start this month but was shelved due to the pandemic and will now begin on June 24.
Nominations end on July 9 with a winner announced after August 26. Education spokeswoman Layla Moran, 37, and environment spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse, 60, have thrown their hats into the ring.
Former Cabinet Minister Sir Ed, 54, is expected to enter the race.
PLANS for a hotel on the River Bann have been refloated – two years after the last boat bought for the venture sank in the Irish Sea.
The owner of the Cranagh Marina Complex in Coleraine, Co Derry, has filed a planning application for the 70-meter floating hotel.
Seamus Carey said he has identified a barge, currently moored in Norway, for the project and plans to transport it to Northern Ireland where an eight-week refurbishment programme will transform it into a facility with a restaurant and function room as well as 36 cabins.
He added the vessel will be the first floating hotel in Ireland.
The last attempt at a similar venture ended in disaster when the MV Oliver Cromwell was being towed from Gloucester Docks to Coleraine in May 2018.
The Mississippi-style paddle steamer and riverboat hotel sank off the north
Wales coast. Mr Carey said he filed the application prior to the Covid-19 crisis.
He added a “surge” in visitor numbers and tourists to the complex, “presented an opportunity to add further accommodation facilities”.
He added: “The Cranagh has seen a steady increase in visitors over the last number of years and has become a destination on the North Coast offering excellent facilities for the entire family.
“Since 2016, we have won several tourism and visitor attraction awards and have been awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence every year since 2017.
“We believe the floating hotel will enhance our offering and enable visitors to stay and enjoy not only the facilities at the Cranagh but all the wonderful offerings of the North Coast.
“This is a really exciting time for us. Prior to the lockdown we were recording record numbers of visitors and were thrilled with the success of the activity centre, restaurant and cabins. We will also be announcing a number of exciting new developments at the Cranagh in the near future and this will undoubtedly further increase the profile of this wonderful destination.”
There is also scope, he said, to introduce a spa facility should the application get the green light.
He added that there will be no disruption to the current site when the project is under way.
When completed, the barge will be a three-star facility and will employ around 50 full and part-time staff. Cranagh Marina Complex, like many visitor attractions, has had to close down during the Covid-19 crisis.
The complex has furloughed all 15 staff members.
Mr Carey said: “We took the step to close the restaurant and accommodation at the start of March.
“The activity centre was due to open at the beginning of April but we have postponed opening until the guidelines from Stormont permit, which we hope will be around the end of June.
“The restaurant will be among the last business sectors to open in line with Government guidelines.
“We have plans in place to comply with social distancing and customer/ staff safety once we reopen the restaurant. We plan to open the accommodation and activity centre towards the end of June, in accordance with procedures issued by Stormont and national governing bodies.”