26-06-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Charity puts Co Down accommodation on market for £1m
Clare Lodge close to Newcastle's promenade is owned by Ireland-wide charity St Vincent de Paul.
It was first opened in the 1970s to offer respite breaks for those experiencing the worst of the Troubles in urban areas. It was later demolished and rebuilt, reopening in 2016 with 19 en suite bedrooms.
However, the Castle Place building had been shut since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and this week went on sale through selling agents UPS.
A spokesperson for the charity said: "We can confirm that Clare Lodge has been closed for five years and the Society of St Vincent de Paul has now placed it on the market for sale.
"Any proceeds from the sale of the property will be used in the northern region to help alleviate poverty."
A brochure for the property from UPS describes it as a 'substantial and modern commercial premises in the heart of Newcastle, Co Down — perfectly positioned with breath-taking views of the Mourne Mountains and the Irish Sea'.
It adds that the 'versatile property offers immense potential for investors, hoteliers, or developers seeking a landmark building in one of Northern Ireland's most desirable coastal towns'.
As well as 19 bedrooms, there is also a dining room, lounge and reception hall.
There are also three commercial units which had been knocked together to operate as restaurant, which has since shut.
The brochure states that each bedroom is 'fully furnished and finished to a modern standard, offering comfort and privacy for guests'.
Aaron Ferris, a selling agent at UPS, said it had drawn interest from three parties after being on the market since earlier in the week.
"It's perfectly set up for a boutique hotel with 19 bedrooms, all en suite, and a lot of them are family rooms, with a lot having sea views.
'There's a commercial element with three commercial units that were knocked into one and operated as a separate restaurant – but it would be very easy to have a bar or restaurant in it as part of a hotel in future.
"You couldn't built it any better than it is already for use as a hotel.'
He said that the town was busy in general, with other commercial units on the market attracting strong interest.
Mr Ferris said that an investment property on Central Promenade with a cafe and Medicare pharmacy on the ground floor and apartments above it, which is on the market for £730,000, had drawn offers for £610,000.
"There's a lot of viewers waiting in the wings before closing bids in July,' he said.
