Fort Bar and Salt nightclub facing demolition as major Dungannon revamp plans are revealed

The Fort Bar and Salt nightclub in Scotch Street, Dungannon, may soon be knocked down along with adjacent buildings to make way for two new retail units and 15 apartments.
By François Vincent, Local Democracy Reporter
Published 24th Apr 2024, 11:09 BST
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The planning application for the major street revamp has been lodged by McGirr Architects, Belfast, on behalf of Centrum NI, Toomebridge.

The pub and retail units being proposed for demolition are currently vacant, according to the planning application.

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Making a strong case for the proposed development, McGirr Architects argue that the proposed design for the new development at 5 – 19 Scotch Street is actually a lot more in keeping with the historic character of the area.

The proposed rear elevation at 5 - 19 Scotch Street, Dungannon. Credit: Mid Ulster District Council planning portalThe proposed rear elevation at 5 - 19 Scotch Street, Dungannon. Credit: Mid Ulster District Council planning portal
The proposed rear elevation at 5 - 19 Scotch Street, Dungannon. Credit: Mid Ulster District Council planning portal

The Fort Bar itself is being described in their documentation as being “wholly out of character for the street” with its brick façade and highly decorated windows, while No 15 and 17 – a new building constructed in the early 1980s – is described as follows: “Its roof level is too high, breaking the pattern of the street where roofs step down with the slope.”

As for the building at No 19, it is being described as being “structurally suspect”.

The documentation further states: “The design principles of the proposal are therefore to restore the rhythm of the streetscape to three-bay; restore the stepping down effect of the rooflines; reintroduce appropriate finishing materials; reintroduce appropriately simple architectural forms and styles.

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“The proposal introduces the ordered stepdown of the ridges in accordance with the street levels and the segmentation of the elevations, to restore the rhythm to the streetscape that is currently missing.

The proposed street frontage for the new retail and apartment complex at 5 - 19 Scotch Street, Dungannon, is quite similar to what it was in days gone by. Credit: Mid Ulster District Council planning portalThe proposed street frontage for the new retail and apartment complex at 5 - 19 Scotch Street, Dungannon, is quite similar to what it was in days gone by. Credit: Mid Ulster District Council planning portal
The proposed street frontage for the new retail and apartment complex at 5 - 19 Scotch Street, Dungannon, is quite similar to what it was in days gone by. Credit: Mid Ulster District Council planning portal

“Window openings and materials proposed complement the area’s characteristics and create a refined, muted building that integrates into the streetscene.”

The full description of the envisaged development also stresses that Wilson’s Lane – an important historical feature – would be fully preserved and enhanced.

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The planning documentation states: “The proposal is a redevelopment scheme involving the demolition and replacement of the existing buildings with a new development comprising: retail units on the ground floor, street frontage; the apartments’ entrance and foyer, also on the street frontage; ground-floor apartments to the rear overlooking private communal open space; access from Wilson’s Lane and bike storage including upgrade of the paving materials on Wilson’s Lane; replication of the current carriage arch arrangement for Wilson’s Lane; first and second-floor frontage apartments facing the street; rear-facing apartments overlooking the communal private open space and Wilson’s Lane.

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The architect's documentation argues that the proposed design for the new buildings restores the traditional character of Scotch Street, Dungannon. Credit: Mid Ulster District Council planning portalThe architect's documentation argues that the proposed design for the new buildings restores the traditional character of Scotch Street, Dungannon. Credit: Mid Ulster District Council planning portal
The architect's documentation argues that the proposed design for the new buildings restores the traditional character of Scotch Street, Dungannon. Credit: Mid Ulster District Council planning portal

“Wilson’s Lane is an extremely long-standing feature of the street layout in Dungannon town centre. However, it is not a street, it has no frontages and runs through the rear spaces between the buildings. Nonetheless it is an important element of area and is retained in the proposed development. This allows the proposal to further integrate into the fabric of the area and enhance the public realm.

“The existing buildings have a mix of build-outs and small underused spaces to their rears. The proposal reproduces those intimate, small-scale spaces behind the building lines and repurposes them as private space for the development scheme.”

Related topics:Belfast