Primark fire: Donation to Belfast fund 'drop in ocean'

The cordon around Bank Buildings could be in place until the end of the year

Belfast Chamber of Commerce and traders in the city have given a mixed reaction to Primark's decision to donate £500,000 to the council.

The retailer's flagship Belfast store was destroyed in a fire last month.

About a dozen businesses have been unable to trade due to a large cordon around Bank Buildings.

The money will be used as part of Belfast City Council's recovery programme to help businesses affected by the fire.

• Campaign to bring shoppers back to Belfast

• Primark donates £500k to city recovery

Justin Milligan, who runs two businesses on Castle Street, which has been partly cut off by the cordon, said the donation is a kind gesture.

"It's very difficult to say whether it's enough money as we don't know what we'll receive individually or how it'll be distributed," he told BBC News NI.

"I would imagine the amount of businesses affected and the length of time we are affected, it probably won't be enough.

"It's a kind gesture but it'll be a drop in the ocean compared to the real impact of this catastrophe."

'On the back foot'

The cordon around the Primark store is likely to be in place for at least four months.

Mr Milligan said his trade has severely reduced as a result.

"We are down by almost 80% as our business is based on passing trade and Castle Street has effectively been made into a cul-de-sac.

"At the minute we are relying on our brand.

"If it is going to be four months [before the cordon is lifted] we are going to start 2019 on the back foot."

Businesses inside the cordon have been forced to close while trade has dropped at nearby shops

Primark said it was committed to businesses and the wider community in Belfast and hoped the money would help efforts to drive footfall into Belfast.

Belfast City Council members will meet on Friday to decide how the money will be used.

'Traders losing millions'

Responding to the £500,000 donation, Belfast Chamber of Commerce president Rajesh Rana said more money was needed from other sources.

"We are very grateful Primark has made this gesture and obviously it will help small traders to re-establish in the short term," he said.

"We are asking for further funding from central government, Her Majesty's Treasury and the Department for Communities as half a million isn't a great deal of money.

"Our traders are reporting losing millions of pounds a day in revenue and that could equate to hundreds of millions of pounds by the time this is resolved."

Mr Rana said more work needed to be done to narrow the cordon around Bank Buildings.

"We do need to see more movement - four months would be unacceptable with Christmas coming.

"We are now saying we need a clear date for the cordon to be reduced to at least allow pedestrian movement and bus movement within the city."

'Open extension soon'

The Primark store was being extended as part of a £30m development, which was largely untouched by the fire.

Another trader on Castle Street said he hoped to see the company would get its store up and running again soon.

Optometrist Michael Connor had been "waiting for someone to put their hands in their pockets" and he said Primark's donation was a welcome one.

"Where we are, we are looking at the new extension and there has been activity for the last few days with skips going in and out," he said.

"We are hoping they could get that open to increase footfall to our section of the city and make a big improvement."