Belfast traders look to the future as Primark picks up

Another week and, again, attention is turning to the Bank Buildings and the Primark Store in downtown Belfast.

It has been two months since the listed building was completely razed by a fire that lasted three days and left only an outside skeleton badly damaged by a flourishing and exuberant company.

After the weeks that followed, marked by hand and a perfectly justified sadness, the merchants of the city have at least the hope of being rebadured this Christmas.

The bridge connecting Royal Avenue to Donegall Place will bring some sort of normality back to what the Primark's City Council report graphically described as "four dead ends" in the heart of the city.

The announcement of the reopening of Primark in the extension of Castle Street in December will also be a source of joy.

Noting that the city loses up to £ 3 million a month as a result of the fire, the report says that efforts must now be made to move the process forward.

During the same week Debenhams announced its intention to close up to 50 stores across the UK over the next two or three years, any obstacle that prevents the ability of a store to trade is a critical threat to individual businesses and, since August 28, the entire retail community.

The report's claim that attendance at CastleCourt dropped by 49% in the weeks following the fire is all the more shocking because it includes one of the city's main commercial car parks.

Overall, the experience was a shocking example of the disastrous impact that an event, even catastrophic, may have.

Along with the efforts of Belfast City Council and, of course, Primark, many have called on the central government for some support.

Given the constant disinterest of our own local elected officials in the province's daily life, it remains to be seen whether Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond is willing to offer largesse to the city in Monday's budget.

Anyway, he is relieved that something is finally happening.