An application to breathe new life into a former Donegal Town pub has been given the green light.
The old Scotsman’s Bar on Bridge Street has been closed since the pandemic.
But plans are moving forward to revive the building with a retail shop and coffee shop.
Michael John Gavigan, who purchased the building recently, has been granted conditional planning permission from Donegal County Council for the conversion.
The changes include converting the first and second floors into two one-bedroom apartments. A flat-roof extension will be built to provide a stairwell and balconies for the apartments. The building’s exterior will be modified, with a new shopfront and entrance, and other site development works will be carried out.
Permission was granted on condition that the apartments are for permanent occupation or long-term rental only. Short-term letting or holiday home use requires separate planning permission. All works relating to the restoration of the painted shop front must be completed to the satisfaction of the Conservation Officer. The applicant was also instructed that all signage must be in Irish only, or if bilingual, Irish must be equally or more prominent than other languages.
