The new-look Mount Murray Hotel is rising from the ashes.

It closed following a devastating fire that swept through the accommodation block in 2013.

Comis Holdings purchased the former Mount Murray Hotel and Country Club in February last year, with the promise to create a world-class hotel and leisure development.

The new development is called Comis at Mount Murray.

Comis director John Bentley secured planning consent last year to rebuild the accommodation block (16/00684/B) and to redevelop the reception area (16/01246/B).

The work has involved demolishing and rebuilding the section between the sports facilities and the hotel accommodation to have a level entrance to the car park.

There will be a new entrance lobby and an unsightly building on the eastern elevation looking toward the lake has been demolished. External stair cases on the front are being removed,

In her report, planning officer Sarah Corlett noted the hotel complex has had a ’slightly tired’ appearance, partly through lack of maintenance and also through piecemeal changes which have given it a functional appearance, with ramps and railings and large areas of hard surfacing.

She said new materials and a new palette of colours will change its character to a more current building which will be easier to access.

Previously, there had been a confusing choice of ways to enter the hotel at different levels but Comis plans to provide a focus on the main entrance which will have an attractive landscaped area where visitors can pose for photographs.

Roofer Roy Michael Cross was jailed in April this year for causing the blaze at the Mount Murray Hotel when he used a blowtorch to dry damp plywood while working on the roof.

He had originally been sentenced to 240 hours of community service after he was found guilty of health and safety failings. But the Attorney General’s chambers successfully appealed the sentence.