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Man (18) arrested following Belfast city centre blaze which forced businesses to close

Linda Stewart — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 15:37:41 +0000

An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson following a large fire in Belfast city centre on Monday morning.

The arrest comes as over 50 firefighters and 8 fire appliances battled to tackle the blaze at the Old Cathedral Building on Donegal Street.

A number of premises in the building are believed to have been destroyed and commercial properties in the building have had to close.

The PSNI have said they were made aware of the blaze at the city centre’s Cathedral Buildings at 5.40am and later confirmed they believe the cause of the fire is arson.

A police spokesperson said: “The fire is currently being treated as suspected arson at this time and we have arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of arson endangering life with intent. He remains in police custody at this time.”

The owner of Cathedral Quarter’s Centra, David Griffiths (34), said his shop was evacuated shortly after 6am.

“We had two transactions through the till before we had to evacuate,” he said.

Mr Griffiths was grateful his shop remained relatively safe from the blaze, saying: “I can see some smoke damage at the top and I’d say there will be water damage but I think we will be ok. We should be trading soon enough.”

He expressed his sympathy for business owners in the building who have been more harshly affected by the fire.

“We are ok, but I feel for other people,” he added. “Some people here have lost years of work.”

SDLP Councillor Carl Whyte, who was on the scene, said his “thoughts are with the many businesses and organisations who use office space in the building and those in the surrounding area.

“The fire at the Old Cathedral Building has caused significant disruption in Belfast on Monday morning as firefighters tackle the blaze,” he said.

“I visited the site of the fire on Monday morning to offer my support to those affected and to establish if any help was needed in the interim.”

Mr Whyte said temporary accommodation is available for businesses at the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District.

“This is one of the most historic parts of our city centre and it’s devastating to see this building damaged as a result of this blaze. There has been much discussion about the need to revive this part of our city in recent months and this is the last thing the area needs.”

Meanwhile Sinn Fein MP John Finucane said the blaze will be a blow for the many local, independent businesses as well as the creatives and artists in the area.

“The fire has caused disruption to the area and businesses, while firefighters assess the safety of the building,” he added.

The fire caused widespread disruption this morning throughout the city centre, with Translink suspending all routes through Royal Avenue and a number of junctions in the surrounding area closed.

The Cathedral Buildings house multiple workspaces including Digital Arts Studios who said “no one was in the building at the time” of the fire.

“We are now homeless as are all our colleagues in the building. Lots of work lost and all equipment.”

Form Native, a branding and digital studio who also had premises in the building tweeted, saying “Glad we were all out, but so sorry to lose our studios, buildings and community.”

The building also houses a number of commercial properties, including hair salon, ‘Hair Friendly’, whose staff issued a statement on social media saying they were “devastated” at the news.

“(We’re) on the ground floor so I think we won’t be allowed in for a few days at least…Very tearful about it all.”

“An iconic building full of great businesses on a neglected street is not what the area needs or deserves. Hope everyone is ok.”

Adjoining premises clothing shop ‘Never Never’, tailor ‘Perfect Fit’ and cafe ‘Neighbourhood’ also confirmed they would be closed for the remainder of the day as firefighters continued to work on the blaze.

Cathedral Quarter pub The Deer’s Head tweeted saying they are “devastated for our neighbours in the Cathedral Building on Donegal Street this morning”.

Green Party councillor Brian Smyth said: “A historic building on fire in a part of the City Centre that badly needs a bit of love. Heartbreaking to see, businesses and people’s hard work impacted by this.

“We have so much work to do to turnaround the fortunes of our city centre.”

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Belfast’s iconic Primark store to reopen in time for Christmas

Linda Stewart — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 11:32:03 +0000

Belfast’s flagship city centre Primark store is to reopen in time for Christmas, four years on from a devastating fire.

The retailer says the new five-floor renovated shop will reopen in the first week of November and will be 76% bigger than the old store.

As well as being bigger, the improved shop features a brand-new Disney cafe located on the second floor and a new nail and beauty studio.

Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: “Without a doubt this reopening will be a much-needed boost for the city centre and its traders. This store was always a huge footfall driver for our members in Royal Avenue and the city centre as a whole.

“Whilst the city centre is experiencing serious challenges at present, its future has huge potential to be a fun, family friendly destination with a dynamic retail and hospitality offering.”

The listed Bank Buildings on Royal Avenue came close to being lost following the fire, which burned for three days after starting on August 28 2018.

In a June 2019 report, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said a joint investigation with the Health & Safety Executive had found that the cause of the fire was “accidental”.

Primark says its complex restoration project has restored the building’s original structure, with 88,200 sq. ft. of brand-new retail space marking a significant increase.

The existing shop on Castle Street will merge with the restored Bank Buildings site to create the new larger store.

The retailer said as part of this process, the smaller Primark store on Donegall Place will close in the days before the Bank Buildings re-opening, with all employees transferring back to the new store.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Tina Black, said: “This is a major investment in Belfast city centre after a challenging time for our local economy.

“The devastating fire at Bank Buildings in 2018 was a turning point for our city. It acted as a springboard in bringing elected members and city partners together to examine and trial new ideas and concepts to support recovery and regeneration and increase what the city centre has to offer. Many of these projects have now been incorporated into our Future City Centre programme.

“This has been a long and complex restoration project, and local traders and shoppers have shown great patience and resilience. We hope the opening of Primark’s extended flagship store will provide a major boost to businesses, particularly in the run-up to the busy Christmas season.”

Paul Marchant, Primark CEO, said: “We want to thank the people of Belfast for their ongoing support and patience whilst we undertook the extensive re-building works at our iconic Bank Buildings site.

“We recognise how much the business community and wider city of Belfast has been affected by the devastating fire at our store back in 2018.

“We have put our heart and soul into retaining, conserving and restoring this much-loved historical building. We are nearly there with this re-development, and we cannot wait to finally re-open the doors and welcome our customers and our colleagues back into our Bank Buildings store.”

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PPS to prosecute three firms for ‘alleged health and safety offences’ following Primark fire

Linda Stewart — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 08:57:12 +0000

The Public Prosecution Service is to prosecute three companies for alleged health and safety offences following the Primark fire in Belfast.

The fire at the clothing retailer’s historic building in the city centre burned for three days after starting on 28 August 2018.

Following an investigation, a file was submitted to the PPS by the Health and Safety Executive.

It is understood the cause of the fire is not an element of the prosecutions.

“The prosecutions are in relation to alleged health and safety failings that were discovered as a result of the investigation by the NI Fire and Rescue Service and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland following the fire,” the PPS said in a statement.

“Proceedings will commence in due course.”

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Tesco opening new Express store in Belfast days after closing city centre Metro store

Linda Stewart — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 16:02:08 +0000

Supermarket giant Tesco is poised to open a new Express store at Belfast’s Donegall Place days after closing the city centre Metro supermarket that has been operating for 25 years.

The retailer confirmed its decision last year not to renew the lease it has held on the former bank building next to Primark’s bank buildings since 1996.

While the lease isn’t due to expire until Sunday October 17, Tesco has already closed the doors of the Metro store and cleared its shelving from the shop floor.

Tesco still has an express store on Royal Avenue and a new unit about to open just up the street at Donegall Place.

The former bank building on Royal Avenue went on the market earlier this year with an asking price of £4.25 million.

The 22,500 sq ft listed building dates back to 1869 when it was built as the Belfast branch for the Provincial Bank of Ireland. Allied Irish Bank took it over in the late 1980s until it was taken over by Tesco in 1996, building an extension.

The Tesco Metro store was hard hit in the wake of the August 2018 fire that devastated Primark’s Bank Buildings store next door.

It remained closed for almost nine months, reopening in May 2019, and the work at Bank Buildings has restricted access to the store.

Primark has already responded to the 2018 fire by buying Fountain House on Donegall Place.

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Belfast Primark fire: what next for retailers

Beth Mason — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 15:02:51 +0000

The iconic Bank Buildings, housing one of Belfast’s busiest high-street retailers, Primark, has seen a devastating fire destroy the listed building.

This incident, however, could affect more than just the discount giant’s retail future in the city centre.

The fire that distraught one of Belfast’s busiest high-street retailers, Primark, has now been put out, and we can now see what the real damage is.

The building before the blaze.

Whilst the destruction has caused irrefutable damage to the store, retailers around the Royal Avenue area of Belfast could expect to see a slump in footfall for the coming weeks.

This has been a devastating chapter in the long-life of the Belfast landmark, which was close to completing a £30m refurbishment.

Thankfully all staff and customers were evacuated, although no cause of the fire has been released by emergency service. We can expect a long investigation into the cause.

Commenting on the Primark store fire in Belfast City Centre, Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts praised the heroics of the fire services, and was thankful that nobody was injured.

A spokeswoman for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service also stated that, “Whilst the incident is ongoing, NIFRS wishes to reassure the public that contingency measures are in place to ensure normal service delivery is maintained across Belfast.”

A testament to the professionalism and aptitude of the fire services involved within the retail disaster.

Glyn went on to tout concern for the city centre and the overall affect this could have on retail: “This is very concerning development, both for Primark and the city centre as a whole.

Primark is a major attraction for Belfast City Centre and provides considerable footfall for surrounding traders”

Glyn went on to wish everyone involved with the store his sympathies and that he hoped it would open again in the future.

The current climate for retailers, with a non-functional and Brexit looming around the corner is already one of uncertainty for the industry.

The events that took place at the Primark store could mean further disruptions to other retailers within the area.

The Primark building on fire on Tuesday afternoon. Photography: Gregg Reid

Speaking to Neighbourhood Retailer Aodhán Connolly, Northern Ireland Retail Consortium director agreed that this incident could see a change in consumer behaviour.

Aodhán stated that, “This fire is a real blow to the city as not only an iconic building but a hugely successful footfall draw for the city centre has been devastated.”

Like others involved within the retail sector Aodhán thanked the fire service for putting themselves on the front line and was thankful that nobody was injured in the blaze.

He did also note that, “there will be a seismic shift in footfall for all the retailers who share a symbiotic footfall relationship with Primark.

We hope they can be accommodated somewhere close by to mitigate the disruption to businesses, to jobs and for consumers.”

It is clear to see that this incident is going to have a negative effect on retailers close to the building for, currently an untold length of time.

Mourne Seafood Bar and Kelly’s Cellars, two iconic Belfast city centre food and drink retailers could face weeks of dormancy due to the close proximity of their establishments to the burnt building.

Primark chief executive, Paul Marchant, commented that he was deeply sadden and that, “The safety and wellbeing of our customers, colleagues and construction team is of course the most important consideration and we are truly relieved that all were evacuated safely.

We would like to thank the emergency services for their swift response and ongoing actions.”

The president of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Rajesh Rana, who too attended today’s Belfast’s City Hall meeting explained the focus is now on how we can help.

She explained; “Today we joined the Business Recovery Group convened by the Lord Mayor, along with the City Council, City Centre Management and fire and police services, and met affected businesses at 2pm at City Hall.”

The purpose of the Business recovery Group is to provide information, support and assistance to traders and affected by the Primark fire.

Rajesh continued advising that, “Building Control is that the safety cordon will be reduced today to a zone approximately 45m of around Bank Buildings.

Shops and cafes that are outside of this reduced cordon will be able to open as normal from tomorrow morning.”

“Belfast Chamber is working to collate a list of alternative vacant premises in the city that traders can relocate to on a temporary basis.

We will also be liaising with Land and Property Services to negotiate rates exemption for businesses that fall within the cordon, as they will be unable to trade, and we will provide guidance and practical support to traders on how to claim rates relief.”

Rajesh concluded: “I wish to emphasise the overarching message is that the City Centre remains open for business, Belfast remains a great place to visit, and we encourage shoppers and tourists to keep coming to our Capital City.”

This is an overwhelming lose for the Belfast retail commerce; however, support from people like Simon Burns, who posted on Facebook that Apple Recruitment are currently so busy, and has shown the good nature of some people in helping the retailer.

Simon explained they currently have jobs available in the Housing Executive and Health Service and some Customer Service jobs available for any of the 100 staff that could potentially be affected by the fire.

The heart warming gesture from Simon Burns to help staff affected by the retailer fire.

Whilst this is a big blow for the retail commerce in the city centre of Belfast, with a hit expected to be taken by retailers in the surrounding area.

Many can appreciate the sincerity of people involved with trying to make the best out of a bad situation and bring life to retail in Belfast.

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