Video: New licensed bar and over 100-seat restaurant set for Northern Ireland shopping centre for first time in decades following planning yes

Plans for a new bar and restaurant at Rushmere Shopping Centre have been officially approved, paving the way for a major transformation of a vacant unit.

The new hospitality venue, proposed by owners Killahoey Limited and created by PLY design, will take over the former Synge & Byrne café at Unit 36, which closed in March last year.

Once complete, the redevelopment proposed by planning consultants MBA Planning Ltd will more than double the size of the premises. The former café’s floorspace of around 1,800 sq ft will expand to more than 3,300 sq ft, including a newly created outdoor seating area.

Inside, the venue will feature an 82-seat restaurant with a range of seating configurations, alongside a bar and waiting area. A further 26 seats will be available outdoors within a landscaped enclosure, reflecting the growing demand for al fresco dining.

According to the planning proposal, the development aims to “develop and extend the burgeoning evening economy of the shopping centre by providing a new hospitality offering that will provide good food and drink all day and into the evening”.

The redesign will also significantly enhance the west entrance of the centre. A blank brick façade will be replaced with a contemporary floor-to-ceiling glazed frontage framed by blue and black engineering brick piers.

Planning documents state the changes will “transform the appearance of the west entrance area, opening the blank brick façade to a welcoming and vibrant glazed frontage”.

The bar and restaurant will have its own dedicated entrance, allowing it to operate independently of the shopping centre’s normal trading hours. Customers will be able to access the venue from inside the mall or directly from the external seating area.

Originally opened in 1976, Rushmere Shopping Centre has undergone several redevelopments over the years, including major upgrades in the 1990s, 1998, 2004 and 2018. The new venue will also mark the return of a licensed bar to the complex for the first time in decades.

The proposal added that the extended restaurant will create “a spacious, light and airy facility” while allowing customers to dine outdoors “consistent with modern trends”.

Back-of-house facilities will include food storage areas, a walk-in fridge and freezer, an office and staff facilities, along with unisex and accessible customer toilets.

Planners at Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council noted that redeveloping the vacant unit would create jobs and support the local economy. The Department for Infrastructure raised no road safety concerns, while Environmental Health officials confirmed they had no objections in principle given the site’s previous use as a café.

The new venue will rely on the centre’s existing 1,800 parking spaces, which planners said provide ample capacity for both staff and customers.