Belfast City Council set to bid for one of capital’s oldest buildings

Belfast City Council is to make a bid to purchase one of the oldest standing buildings in Northern Ireland’s capital.

The Assembly Rooms at the corner of North Street and Waring Street in the city centre has Grade B1 listed status.

A Market House stood on the site from 1769, and it was extended and developed in 1776 to become known as the Assembly Rooms, before further changes were made by architect Charles Lanyon in 1845 to transform it into a bank.

Ulster Architectural Heritage said the building has been vacant since 2000 and was added to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2003.

Councillors on the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee agreed during a meeting on Wednesday to make an offer for the building to the current landowner Castlebrooke Investments.

This decision is subject to ratification at the next full meeting of council on September 1.

A council spokesperson said: “At today’s special meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, elected members agreed that the council should purchase the Assembly Rooms and associated lands.

“The committee gave authority for the council to make an offer to the landowner.

“These lands include part of the North Street car park, 5-9 North Street (former Laffin Travel building) and Braddell’s Building, a Grade B1 listed building at 11 North Street.”

Alliance councillor Emmet McDonough-Brown welcomed the move.

“Ensuring the restoration of such a historically significant building for Belfast is something Alliance has long been campaigning for, and having consistently argued that council is in the best place to do so, we’re delighted to see this progress being made today,” he said.

“In terms of preserving our heritage sites, it’s an absolute shame that the building has been allowed to fall into such shocking disrepair.

“Dating back to the 1700s, it has seen monumental social and political upheaval throughout the city and Northern Ireland in general, and has been at the heart of Belfast’s traditional arts and cultural scene.

“It’ll be a full-circle moment to see it be acquired by the council with the intention of bringing it back into public use for both local residents and visitors to the city alike, as well as contributing to crucial regeneration efforts in this part of the city centre alongside the upcoming Belfast Stories attraction.”

Green Party councillor Aine Groogan also welcomed the move to “effectively bring the Assembly Rooms back into public ownership”.

“We are immensely proud that our continued focus on demanding an appropriate and sustainable regeneration scheme for this area has helped to shift the dial on the issue and get us to where we are today,” she said.

“This is a huge moment for our city. I am delighted we have been able to secure the future of this historic building and am excited for what the next chapter of this culturally significant site will hold.”