Welcome return of Bank Buildings after devastating blaze

So much has happened in Belfast and Northern Ireland since the fire at Bank Buildings in the centre of the capital city that it can seem like long ago

It wasn't in fact that long ago, just over four years.

Anyone who saw the TV footage, and particularly anyone who was in the city that late morning in August 2018, will remember the ferocity of the blaze.

While the exact cause has not been disclosed, it is known to have broken out near the top of the building when works were ongoing.

It took hold with terrifying speed, and was still spreading hours later, thus requiring multiple fire teams to be brought under control.

Bank Buildings is a much loved old building, constructed at the end of the 1800s when the city was booming.

It is one of scores of handsome buildings that make the centre of Belfast so attractive.

Almost never are modern buildings anywhere near so well built or so aesthetically pleasing.

While one fine building after another was built almost every year in the late 19th century, barely any memorable buildings have been added to the city centre over the last 80 years.

It was alarming therefore to think that Bank Buildings was so badly damaged it would have to be demolished, as seemed to be the case in the weeks after the fire.

However, Primark – who have owned the building longer than many people can remember – pledged to restore it, a welcome vote of confidence in both the structure and in Belfast.

For many months the dangers of collapse were such that nearby businesses had to close.

Then, a mere year-and-a-half after the fire, the city was essentially closed to people for many more months. Only now, in the autumn of 2022, has Belfast begun to return to its old bustling self.

And just in time for that welcome resumption of commerce and city life, Primark have said that their Bank Buildings store will reopen within weeks.

The refurbished store is 76% bigger than the original site.

Let us hope that this symbolises the post-Covid regeneration of Belfast.