Muir welcomes plans for historic Holywood Building

I welcome plans recently submitted by Lacuna Developments to save the historic building at 1 Stewart’s Place in Holywood after campaigning the save the building for the last number of years particularly from July last year when the building partially collapsed causing closure of nearby busy Bangor Road.

Following the partial collapse in July last year I had great fears Holywood was again on the verge of losing a real jewel in our built heritage crown but following relentless efforts I am delighted to see plans submitted which will see the building restored to it's original glory.

New development planned

 Working alongside Holywood Conservation Group a brighter future has been secured for the building which rightly drew much ire from Holywood traders and residents alike as a result of the traffic chaos the road closure caused.

Through dogged determination to get the road re-opened and a real passion for saving our built heritage I am delighted to have played a part in saving this listed building and commend Lacuna Developments for the courage shown in taking on this building and pursuing plans which will hopefully turn this site into another great Holywood landmark. I look forward to working with the new developer and seeing this project through to completion.

Listed in the 1970s, the building is the other part of the ‘Stewart’s Place pair’ and forms part of the Holywood Conservation Area, but unfortunately the property has been on the Built Heritage at Risk Northern Ireland Register for a number of years. It’s other half, No 3 Stewart’s Place was restored by Hearth Housing Association in 1993.

Stewart’s Place is thought to have been built around 1840 by William Lowry, with numbers one and three forming a pair of three-storey stucco houses with rounded corners and were named after the first post-master of Holywood Hugh Stewart

Story at http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/historic-northern-ireland-pub-to-become-luxury-flats-in-2m-scheme-35871368.html