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O'Toole & Starkey
Planning Consultants
Gilford Castle Public Consultation
Proposal: Part change of use of dwelling (Gilford Castle) and retention of marquee and toilet blocks to form a conference centre for hosting conferences and other events in conjunction with the guesthouse use approved by LA08/2025/0710/F and LA08/2025/0709/LBC, with associated landscaping, parking, improvements to the existing access and site works.
Location: Gilford Castle, 5 Banbridge Road, Gilford, Craigavon, BT63 6DJ and adjacent lands to the north, east, south and south-west.
Welcome
We are inviting your views on a draft of the above proposal. The feedback received will help to inform the planning application that will be submitted to the Council in due course.
Your views, ideas and knowledge are important in helping to develop the proposal. Please take your time to review the information. Should you wish to comment on the proposal, you can do so via the Contact page on this website, by email to office@otsplanning.com, in writing to O’Toole & Starkey Ltd, 1st Floor, River House, 48 - 60 High St, Belfast, BT1 2BE or by using the contact form below. Comments should be submitted by 17th February 2026 to ensure they are considered before the application is finalised and submitted to the Council.
Please note that comments made to the prospective applicant do not constitute representations to the Council. A further opportunity to make representations to the Council will be available as part of the statutory consultation process following formal submission of the planning application.
Proposal Site
The proposal site comprises Gilford Castle and adjacent lands to the north, east, south and south-west.
The extent of the site is outlined in red in the image below and a copy of the site location plan can be downloaded from the PDF link below the image:
Proposed Development
The proposed development is detailed in the drawings below. It comprises the following main elements along with ancillary drainage, landscaping and other site works:
- Change of use of parts of the Castle to facilitate use of the space for conferences and other events.
- Retention of the marquee erected on site, again to accommodate conferences and other events.
- Retention of the ancillary toilet blocks.
- Ancillary parking.
- Improvements to the existing access.
Comments
We would appreciate any feedback you might have in response to the draft proposal. All your comments will be considered before a planning application is submitted to the Council.
You can complete the comment form below, email comments to office@otsplanning.com, or post to:
O'Toole & Starkey Ltd, 1st Floor, River House, 48-60 High Street, Belfast, BT1 2BE
Please also get in touch if you would like any further information. Our full contact details are below and on our Contact page.
All comments should be submitted by 17th February 2026 to ensure they are given consideration before submission of the formal planning application.
Comment Form
Next Steps
Following the conclusion of this pre-application public consultation, all comments will be reviewed. Once considered, relevant changes may be made to the proposed development and all comments, including a summary of the key concerns and the applicant’s responses will be included in a Pre-Application Community Consultation Report. This report will accompany the application submission.
Supporting technical and environmental documents will be finalised to accompany the application. Once complete, the supporting documents and final proposed drawings will be submitted with the Pre-Application Community Consultation Report as a planning application to the Council for consideration and determination.
After the application is validated, the Council will proceed with its own statutory consultation. The Council will then notify the local community about the consultation and application process and how to participate.
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