Derelict hotel in 'dangerous' condition demolished

A derelict Georgian building that was once the Antrim Arms Hotel has been demolished in Ballycastle.

The County Antrim building, parts of which are believed to date back to the 1760s, had been vacant for more than a decade but an application to demolish it was refused last year.

The property was cordoned off more than a year ago over fears about its structural integrity and shipping containers were placed outside it to protect pedestrians ahead of the town's annual showpiece event, the Ould Lammas Fair.

Concerns were also raised that a £2m revamp of the town centre was on hold because of uncertainty surrounding the future of the building at the junction of Castle Street and Fairhill Street.

The Ballycastle environmental improvement scheme includes plans to upgrade the town's Diamond area and surrounding streets and was originally due to be completed by March 2027.

At a hearing in January last year, a judge acknowledged the site was dangerous.

The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (UAHS), which campaigns to protect and preserve historic buildings, had opposed plans to demolish the building and called for the owners to repair it, instead.

In April, a family living next to the hotel was forced to flee their home after the listed building was damaged in an arson attack.

It took more than 40 firefighters to bring it under control.

BBC News NI has contacted the Department for Communities (DfC) and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council for comment.