The former Halifax building in Portadown – which was extensively damaged in an arson attack almost two years ago – is to go up for sale at auction.
While the ground floor “is in need of refurbishment”, the two upper floors “are fitted to a modern specification with suspended floors and ceilings”.
It is now due to go under the hammer later this month.
It was in February 2024 that the property, on the corner of High Street and Woodhouse Street, was destroyed.
A Portadown man was later handed a three-year sentence – split with one year in custody and two years on licence – after the arson.
A court sitting in October 2024 was told he set fire to the Halifax in a “moment of madness” due to an unpaid insurance policy.
The property had been boarded up and Halifax had expressed hopes of reopening.
But a few months after the devastating blaze, the worst news came for its customers.
A Halifax spokesperson, in April 2024, confirmed: “Following fire damage at our Portadown branch, we’ve looked carefully at the work needed to restore the branch, alongside how our customers have been using it. With customers visiting the branch less, and most customers banking online or over the phone, our Portadown branch will not reopen.”
Works have been undertaken to secure the building, and it is hoped it can be brought back into productive use, with a new tenant taking up residency.
To that end, the building has been listed for a property auction scheduled to take place on November 28.
Savills (NI) Ltd is the agent, and a guide price is given in the region of £185,000.
The lot is described as a “former bank building” and a “prominent commercial unit with return frontage”.
It benefits from a “modern fit-out on upper floors with lift access” and is to be sold “with the benefit of vacant possession”.
According to the agent: “This is a traditionally constructed end-terrace, three-storey commercial building providing a ground floor former bank premises with office accommodation on the upper floors.
“The ground floor is in need of refurbishment; however, the two upper floors are fitted to a modern specification with suspended floors and ceilings. The upper floors are accessed via staircase and lift.”
Further information can be obtained from the Savills Auction Team.
