Owner of historic Ballycastle hotel applies for demolition permission

The Antrim Arms on the town’s Castle Street has been in a state of disrepair for some time. In October 2024, an emergency road closure was put in place due to fears over the structural integrity of the building.

Now, the owners of the historic hotel, Maplemanor Properties Ltd, have made a listed building consent application to Causeway Coast and Glens Council to demolish the building entirely.

They say that structural engineers have suggested removing a gable wall by hand from a crane mounted basket.

"The cost of doing so is in excess of £1m, the company does not have the means to do this.

"Hand removal of the gable wall also takes almost 10 months longer than full demolition and would cause very significant inconvenience to residents and vistors to Ballycastle.

"Given above, the quickest, most cost effective, amd least disruptive course of action is to demolish the entire building, making the area safe for everyone.”

Consultation on this latest application is open and will run until June 11, after which date, the application will be considered by the Planning Committee of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.