Plans have been lodged with the local council for a popular Co Down bar to be demolished then rebuilt after a fire gutted the premises earlier this year.
The Anchor Bar in Newcastle was destroyed in an accidental fire in January, with more than a dozen fire appliances extinguishing the blaze in the early hours of the morning. The bar has remained closed ever since.
The bar has been a feature of the seaside town, popular with locals and tourists for more than a century. Now, proposals have drawn up under the name of Anchor Bar Ltd and lodged with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
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If approved, the works would see the demolition of the fire-damaged premises, with a new bar and five apartments being built in its place.
According to a design and access statement, there is no other option than for the building to be demolished. It states: “The fire started in the kitchen and, while it was brought under control without impacting neighbouring buildings, fire and water damage have meant that it has been left structurally unsound.”
The applicants believe the replacement will provide one of Northern Ireland's best entertainment spots.
The statement said: “The brief for the site was to design a new bar and entertainment complex that built on some of the success of the Anchor Bar historically but that responds to the needs of a modern social culture, both internally and externally, in a way that competes with the best that Northern Ireland has to offer.
“There is also a desire to return some of the site to its historic residential use and to improve the streetscape along this section of the Bryansford Road.”
The first floor will include a multi-function room and performance space. It will “provide Newcastle with a venue that can welcome performance artists and accommodate them professionally”.
The new venue will also be "set back slightly" off the road to make access and exits "appropriate for patrons."
To the north west of the site is a section “assigned to residential use”.
The ‘service core’ has been designed to separate it from the bar to “remove concerns about noise issues”.
There would be a total of five apartments – three single-bedroom units and two two-bedroom properties – with a total of eight parking spaces, these also being for use and to be shared with bar staff.
There would also be an ‘external amenity area’ for the first floor occupants accessible via communal stairs.
A locked bin storage area – and secure facility for bicycles – is also included in the plans.
The floorspace – if given the go-ahead – will almost double in size, from just over 6,600 sq ft to close to 13,200 sq ft.
The proposals will now be advertised shortly with a decision expected in due course.
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