Work to improve a North Belfast community was stopped because of “concerns over structural issues” in a building, say the Department for Communities.
Minister Deirdre Hargey announced £482,000 in funding to enhance the shops, footpaths and landscaping on the Antrim Road in February.
But it wasn’t until builders got to work removing shops signs and render for the upgrade, that issues were found in the terrace facing the Waterworks and Building Control called in.
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Traders are furious about the temporary fixes put in place when the work stopped, with one shop suffering leaks after their overhead signage was removed.
But one is also concerned about a letter from Belfast City Council saying “significant corrosion” was found in steel beams and that if they fail it will result in “the structure becoming dangerous”.
Damon Brennan, who runs an electrical shop, told Belfast Live: “It’s pretty worrying. It says the beams have significant corrosion.”
“They said with more corrosion, failure of the beams is likely to occur - but at what stage does that happen - while you are sitting in it or when tenants are above it?”
BCC wrote to his shop in July, urging them to engage a structural engineer “to confirm that it [their building] remains in a safe condition”.
While Damon says his landlord is keen to get the situation sorted, he is worried about external delays.
“Our landlord says you don’t mess about with things like this,” he added.
“I would rather close for four weeks or whatever, than sitting here thinking [about it].”
Antrim Road Business Association chair, Paul Carlin, hit out at the temporary measures put in place after the work stopped.
He said: “The place looks worse now than it did before they started and I find that very frustrating. It’s just that typical sort of half measures.
“I didn’t think that a couple of hundred thousand was going to go anyway to doing very much for the front of that row in the first place.
“I find it incredibly frustrating there hasn’t been more investment in the infrastructure on the Antrim Road and the Greater North Belfast area. It seems we have been overlooked for quite some time.”
A DfC spokesperson said: “Work on the Antrim Road Public Realm Improvement Scheme commenced on 14 March 2022. Unfortunately, the Scheme cannot progress at this time due to concerns over structural issues.
“The owners and proprietors of those properties affected have been contacted by the Department and temporary signs and panels have been installed.”
A BCC spokesperson said their "building control team responded to a report about an alleged dangerous structure on the Antrim Road in June".
"On inspection, there was no enforcement action required, under powers we have to deal with dangerous structures. As with all buildings, the responsibility for their maintenance would be under the remit of the owner and it is advisable that regular inspections take place to ensure that they remain in a safe condition."
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