The former Halifax building in Portadown – which was extensively damaged in an arson attack almost two years ago – could now be set for a new lease of life!
Armagh I can now reveal that the prominent town-centre property has been successfully sold at auction for more than £100,000 over its initial guide price.
Related: Former Portadown Halifax building for auction almost two years after devastating arson attack
Bidding opened at £185,000 at midday on November 28 with three bidders battling it out for almost an hour-and-a-half.
The property eventually sold to ‘Bidder 1’ at 1.30pm for a total of £294,000.
While the ground floor “is in need of refurbishment”, the two upper floors “are fitted to a modern specification with suspended floors and ceilings”.
The lot was 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 has been sold “with the benefit of vacant possession”.
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 in April 2024, a spokesperson 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.”
The hope remains that under new ownership the boarded up building will now be redeveloped or refurbished and brought back into productive use.
