Future of historic Tipperary hotel hinges on community support as potential options published
The future of an historic Tipperary hotel remains uncertain, but Tipperary County Council says community support will be crucial as it explores three possible redevelopment options.
Grants Hotel in Roscrea closed in 2013 and has been empty ever since, with much uncertainty around the hotel’s future. The local authority committed in principle to the purchase of Grants Hotel in 2024, following protests at the town’s other hotel after it was repurposed as an IPAS centre.
Protests at the Racket Hall hotel lasted weeks, and saw several arrests by gardaí after clashes with protesters.
Now, Tipperary County Council has developed a feasibility study on the future of Grants Hotel, with several possible options for what it could become.
€150,000 was allocated to Tipperary County Council for the development of the feasibility study by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
Three viable options have been identified by the local authority, all of which would see the hotel reopen to guests.
All of the options for the building aim to boost tourism activity within the town, increase footfall in the town centre, cater for the local community and providing opportunities for employment, as well as stimulating the night time economy in the town, and helping to celebrate and reconnect with the heritage of the site.
The first option, which would see the maximum retention of the original hotel building, would have 24 guest bedrooms, a restaurant with space for 26 tables, a banquet room to hold 208 seats, comes with a projected price tag of over €5.1million.
Option two would focus on the demolition of extensions to the hotel which were built in the 1990s, while the main structure would see extensive retrofitting and restoration works. 21 guest bedrooms would be created as part of this option, with a restaurant that can seat 74 people, and a 185-person banqueting space. This option would also cost €5.5million.
The third and final option would aim to maximise the potential of the site, with all later-20th century additions removed, preserving only the original historic structures on Castle Street. This option would see 10 hotel bedrooms, with seven self-catering apartments added in a new mixed-use building. A restaurant with 62 seats, as well as a banquet room with space for 120 people would be created as part of this option. This is the most expensive option of the three, with a €7.6million price tag.
Based on calculations, Tipperary County Council have said that option one for Grants Hotel would be loss-making, “due to the inefficient layout, restricted restaurant, limited access,” while options two and three have more potential for the hotel to be run as a commercial enterprise.
Whichever option is selected, Tipperary County Council have said that community support will be vital to ensure the hotel is viable for the long term.
"There is a demonstrable need for a facility that will both serve the needs of the community and will be available for tourists as and when the tourism market develops further,” the council said.
"There is a need for strong community support for the hotel from the outset.”
However, the local authority have said that there are challenges to the project from the outset, including the potential difficulty in attracting a hotel operator.
"Research has shown that in other towns across Ireland, there are numerous rural hotels that are sustainable mainly due to servicing the local community,” the council have said.
"Accommodation is somewhat of a secondary revenue stream and is not the key contributor to revenue.
“It is believed that given the scale of the project and the lack of an active tourism market that can be evidenced at present, that it may be challenging to attract private sector investment for the capital build,” the council cautioned.
Speaking previously, local Tipperary TD Alan Kelly said that the Government funding for the feasibility study was a “stupid” decision, and a waste of money.
"The Government decision to take away Racket Hall, the only functioning hotel in Roscrea ... was stupid, and they have admitted it was wrong.
"Two wrongs don’t make a right though and the decision of the Government to try and placate public anger by looking to take over the former Grants Hotel in the town centre as some form of public-run hotel is even more stupid,” Deputy Kelly said.
"The taxpayers of Ireland are not hoteliers. The officials in Government departments think this is ridiculous and, dare I say it, Fáilte Ireland are bemused by it,” he hit out.
The next step in the process is for the feasibility study to be sent to the Department of Rural and Community Development and the wider public for consideration, including consultation with local stakeholders on how best to reactivate the prominent site in Roscrea town.