A long-standing Banbridge furniture and homeware retailer could be set to give a former Christian book shop a fresh, new chapter.
The site of the former book store at 43 Bridge Street entered the property market at the beginning of 2026.
And now, the owner of one of Banbridge’s most prominent furniture store’s, J.A. Lyttle has submitted plans to Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for permission to make changes to the shopfront and access.
Proposed in the name of Stephen Lyttle, the application seeks permission to remove the existing shopfront windows and door to be replaced by a “black aluminium frame window with double glazing and a black aluminium, electrical operated door with double glazing”.
This style would be in keeping with the current street-facing aesthetic of J.A. Lyttle’s existing store, just one door down at 49-51 Bridge Street.
The only unit separating the existing J.A. Lyttle store and the former Christian book shop would be the well known watering hole, The Cut… named after the colloquialism used locally for the Downshire Bridge.
A narrow entry way for vehicular access to the rear of J.A. Lyttle’s current premises also sits between their store and The Cut.
In addition to changes to the shop front, the plans also request permission to build a ramp from the footpath to the proposed entrance to make the unit wheelchair-accessible.
According to a property listing for the site, the premises is a three-storey mid-terrace property with ground floor retail use, with access to the upper floors “currently unavailable”.
It remains listed for sale on the PropertyPal website under the agency of Whelan Commercial Ltd with an asking price of £95,000.
The application for planning permission is due to be advertised shortly.
