Primark fire: Council to approve building application

Belfast City Council is set to approve Primark's listed buildings application for Bank Buildings after a report by planning officials.

A fire in Bank Buildings in August has led to 14 businesses being closed - possibly for as long as four months.

The council's planning committee is to meet on Friday to consider the application, but a recommendation that it be accepted has been made.

The council expects work to start "as soon as practically possible".

• Primark fire: 'Drastic dip' in shoppers

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Primark proposes demolishing the top floors of its historic premises and then rebuilding them using salvaged materials.

It includes six chimneys - the most unstable parts of the building.

Many of the surrounding shops are still closed after the fire

It would allow work to start on the remainder of the building, to make it safe through a façade retention scheme.

The company says once consent is granted, it will begin the work as soon as it can.

The work would also make it possible to shrink part of the cordon around the building and restore pedestrian access between Royal Avenue and Donegall Place, subject to health and safety considerations as work takes place.

Impact of the Primark fire:

By Julian O'Neill, BBC News NI Business Correspondent

Belfast city centre is losing up to £3m a month due to the Bank Buildings fire.

The figure is contained in a council report published ahead of a meeting to decide on Primark's action plan.

It says the amount "does not take into account the long-term economic impact of the fire."

The report also shows how shopper numbers have been affected.

The Castle Court shopping complex has seen footfall crash by 49%.

But Corn Market has seen shopper numbers rise by 24% due to the configuration of the cordon around Bank Buildings.

There has been a 12% reduction in car parking revenue in the three weeks following the fire, compared with the preceding four weeks, while public transport passenger numbers have fallen by 28,250 (4%) compared with the previous year.

Councillor Matt Garrett, chairman of the council's planning committee, said: "Council has given a commitment to do all within its power to restore the city centre to the very vibrant place we know it to be.

"Thanks to our officers we have been able to turn round this application without delay, in just three weeks, and have called a special meeting of the council's planning committee in order to expedite this process."

He added: "We recognise the urgency for businesses, both inside and outside the cordon, to ensure their economic resilience in the run-up to Christmas and beyond.

"As such, council has stated in its conditions of consent that it expects Primark to begin works as soon as practically possible, following the issue of this consent."