Mall owner applies for permission to turn old bank into restaurant and offices

THE owners of Castle Mall have applied for planning permission to turn one of Antrim’s shuttered bank buildings into a restaurant and offices.

Keneagles’ proposal for 50-52 High Street, Antrim, formerly the home of First Trust, now AIB, reads: “Change of use from bank to restaurant at ground floor and office space at first floor.”

The First Trust building, which closed in 2017, remains empty, despite occupying a prime piece of town centre real estate.

Antrim’s branches of First Trust and Bank of Ireland both closed in 2017, followed by Santander 2019 and Ulster Bank in 2021.

There are also plans to demolish part of the Castle Mall shopping centre and build apartments.

Owners Keneagles Ltd has proposed part demolition of Castle Mall and erection of 49 dwellings - one detached, 19 terraces and 29 apartments for social housing, including parking and amenity spaces.

Also included are works to include upgrading of the vehicular access via Railway Street and pedestrian linkages to High Street, and all other associated site and access works.

The proposed area for development comprises units 11-27 and 51-58 Castle Mall opposite the Central Car Park, extending from Castle Walk/Railway Street, adjacent to Nos. 1-7, to High Street, adjacent to number 32 and 38.

The plans are part of a massive overhaul of the site.

Visual improvements to the shopping centre’s façade have been undertaken, as well as the amalgamation of several existing unoccupied units to facilitate a major new retail offering from frozen food group Lynas.

So far the company has not taken up residence despite being pencilled in to take up the space last year.

There are also plans for a landscaped garden element which will link to the Antrim Castle Gardens across the road.

The overall revitalisation of the centre, which was completed in the early 1980s, follows years of underinvestment, in which anchor tenants like Stewarts and Dunnes departed.

The facility now hosts a number of community services as well as shops, and an award-winning Vietnamese cafe.

Last week Antrim Town councillors got a tour of the new ‘workspace hub’ across the street from the bank in the old Wellworth’s building.

The 16,000 sq.ft. facility, which is part-financed by £1.2m funding from the UK Levelling Up Fund, will create a new flexible space to support start-ups, entrepreneurs and other business users.

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