Town's £2m regeneration on hold over former hotel uncertainty

A £2m revamp of a north coast town centre is on hold due to uncertainty surrounding the future of a listed "dangerous", derelict building, BBC News NI understands.

The Ballycastle Environmental Improvement Scheme includes plans to upgrade the town's Diamond area and surrounding streets and was originally due to be completed in March 2027.

But Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said the future of the Antrim Arms Hotel "remains a significant factor in progressing the scheme".

An application to demolish the property, which dates back almost 400 years, was refused last year.

Declan Wright, who owns the building, said he wanted to knock it down and build something new to attract tourists.

Cordons were put in place around the building more than a year ago by the council over fears about its structural integrity.

Some business owners and residents in Ballycastle say the prolonged restrictions are "an eyesore" and "economic burden".

Charlie McVeigh owns the Diamond Bar next door and said it was having an impact on his business.

"Some people coming into the town actually think we're closed, it's such an eyesore," he said.

Fairhill Street next to the Antrim Arms site has been closed to traffic since October 2024 and McVeigh said it was an inconvenience because "any deliveries have to do a mile tour right round the place".

"It's a complete nightmare and it's hitting our footfall," he said.

"Day to day you just shake your head every time you come in through the door."

Ciaran Dallat works in an interiors shop in the Diamond and said customers were always asking about the Antrim Arms building.

"It looks like no-one really cares and there's plants growing out of the roof and tiles missing - it's not even freshly painted," he told BBC News NI.

"They have signs on the fencing... but it's not hiding the fact that the building is falling apart and looks ghastly really."

Dallat said there was "so much potential for the corner" and that it would be "lovely" if the characteristics of the old building could be maintained and made into something useful.

About 2,500 people including local residents, business owners and schools have signed a petition calling for an urgent solution.

Claire Parker lives in the town and said her four children walk past the site on their way to school.

"There are slates falling off the roof," she said.

"It is a very dangerous structure and there is going to be an accident."

Parker said residents recognise the Antrim Arms is an iconic building and a "focal point", but as it stands, it is of no use.

"Something needs to be done," she added.

"If it needs to be knocked down then so be it, but I think we all agree that it should be built within the same character as it was previously".

A Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council spokesperson said the Ballycastle Environmental Improvement Scheme (EIS) aimed to "create a more attractive, accessible town centre".

"Led by the Department for Communities, with support from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, the project has completed a successful Stage One design and public consultation process."

However, the spokesperson added a key issue to be resolved and approval of the business case was "clarity around the future of the Antrim Arms Hotel".

The spokesperson added it remained "a significant factor in progressing the scheme".

John Anderson from the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society said he understood local people's frustrations, but strongly opposes the building being demolished.

"To have the Antrim Arms in that condition both for visitors and the inconvenience to local residents is perfectly understandable, but the people we elect have the power to fix it," he said.

"Legally the council have the power to strongly encourage the owner of the business to actually repair it."

Anderson said the owner has been refused planning permission for demolition so it should be assumed that's off the table.

"Unless of course it sits for another 10 years and falls down under its own accord but that should not be allowed to happen.

"What should happen immediately is these containers be removed, the gable end wall propped which would open half the road and solve a lot of the locals' problems.

He added that the optimum outcome was "the repair and ultimate restoration of the building".

Declan Wright, the director of the company which owns the Antrim Arms building, said he was also "frustrated".

"Ultimately it's inconveniencing the town's residents, the road's been closed over a year now," he told BBC News NI.

"I want to knock it down, I want to build something new, vibrant, that'll bring tourists to the town and will look good in the Diamond but I can't get permission to do anything."

Wright said although the building operated as a hotel for a number of years, its layout does not work for the modern day.

"I would wonder how much of it really is 400 years old because over the years, it's been moved, knocked down, extensions built."

Wright said a solution was unlikely to please everyone, but the town needs "a new hotel with the roads open" offering employment and a place for tourists.

"Any work in the Diamond... is inevitably going to involve diggers more rock breakers and that's going to mean even more damage to the building," he added.

"So I think until such times as the building is allowed to be built with foundations, it probably isn't the wisest thing to proceed."

A Department for Communities spokesperson said: "The department continues to seek engagement with the property owner and the local council to encourage appropriate measures that will safeguard the building and ensure necessary repairs are undertaken in line with its listed status.

"We remain committed to working with all relevant parties to explore viable solutions that secure its future.

"Currently the director of company which owns the listed building has lodged a de-listing query which the Department is assessing."