Tralee in line for another £1.2 million hotel

May 1995

PLANS to build a £1.2m economy hotel in the Lee Valley area of Tralee are already at an advanced stage and preliminary construction work is set to begin in the coming months, The Kerryman has learned.

The hotel will be located on a site next to Mac’s Service Station on the Dingle Road arid it will be the first development to take place on the area designated in the Lee Valley Development Plan.

It is expected that the new hotel will open for business in June 1996.

The Kerryman understands that the hotel is a joint investment between a local builder and a Tralee restaurateur. A planning application is expected to be lodged by the two men with Tralee Town Council in the coming fortnight.

The hotel is expected to be based on the successful Jury’s Inn chain of hotels and will provide a high standard of budget accommodation for individuals and families.

The hotel, if built, will have 50 ensuite bedrooms and a large restaurant overlooking the marina which will be developed in the area under the Lee Valley Development Plan.

The Kerryman understands that the site has already been purchased and preliminary works have already been undertaken in preparation for the construction of the 20,000 sq foot hotel.

The hotel’s investors are hoping to attract tourists looking for affordable accommodation in an area which is designated to be developed under the Lee Valley Development Plan.

It is understood that the hotel will be constructed in an old-style manner with an old stone front. The new hotel will be the first development on an area which is expected to see major investment in the coming years.

Tralee Town Clerk, Willie Wixted, said work has already begun into making the canal in the Lee Valley into a fully operational waterway.

“Tralee Town Council has agreed to transfer the ownership of the canal to the Office of Public Works. They in turn will develop it into a fully operational waterway,” he said, adding that the Council is currently going through the process of transferring this land to the OPW.

“The OPW has already started preliminary works on the canal. That is a process that will take about a year to complete,” he said.

Mr Wixted said the Town Council has not yet received a planning application for the new hotel.