Plans Submitted For First Floor Italian Restaurant In Portrush

Plans have been submitted to create a new Italian restaurant on the first floor of a building on Castle Erin Road in Portrush.

The proposal seeks permission for a change of use and internal fit-out at 4 Castle Erin Road to accommodate an authentic Italian pasta restaurant, La Bottega, capable of seating up to 60 diners.

According to supporting documents lodged with the application, the restaurant would include a meet-and-greet waiting area, open-plan dining space, commercial kitchen, servery, storage facilities and customer toilets, including an accessible WC.

No extensions to the building are proposed, although the plans include installing a new stainless steel extraction flue running alongside an existing flue and a new air-conditioning unit on a flat roof area.

The restaurant is expected to operate seven days a week between 11:00 and 23:00, serving both the lunchtime and evening tourism markets in Portrush. Measures to minimise disturbance to neighbouring properties include a commitment to background music only towards closing time and restrictions on waste handling and servicing after 22:00.

Planning documents highlight the site's long-standing association with hospitality uses, noting that the former Castle Erin Hotel occupied the wider site for many years and that planning permission for a restaurant was granted in 2013 under application reference C/2013/0104/F.

The supporting statement argues that the proposal would complement the surrounding residential development and benefit from nearby public transport connections and access to the West Strand public car park.

The application will now be considered by planning officials at Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.