Walking through the city centre on a cold Saturday earlier this month, you would have expected a hive of activity in the normal run-up to Christmas, even in November. Instead I was greeted with an unusual silence, a city centre that struggled to recover from the devastating events back in August.  The Primark fire burned for three days, turning a beautiful historical building into a tragic shell. The shell’s eerie presence on Belfast’s main shopping thoroughfare continues to serve as a reminder of the events of the summer.

Primark is a household name for families throughout Northern Ireland and beyond. I’ve spent many a day in the run up to the festive season trying to battle my way through the masses to get Pyjamas and other stocking filers for family and friends.

In something tragically associated with Northern Ireland, we seemed to have added another peace wall to our already impressive collection. The city centre was left completely divided, with shoppers taken on a series of diversions to reach their desired route. According to recent research, footfall in the city centre dropped a staggering 30% since the fire, with a number of shops having to close their doors altogether.

In what is arguably the most important period of the year for our retailers, they risk being suffocated by the initially lacklustre response from our agencies. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, what struck me the most was the complete confusion from the authorities. There did not seem to be a contingency plan in place for such an event occurring.  The suspension of the rates was a welcome relief, as well as the pledge by Primark to give the affected businesses compensation, but this only scratches the surface.

High streets across the board have been struggling, leaving aside Belfast’s recently compounded challenge. Sadly this will prove to be the final nail in the coffin for some businesses. Coming from a family who own a pharmacy within the vicinity of the city centre, I understand the high risk game that comes with owning your own business. For those retailers in the shadow of the Primark building, the light for them has nearly been extinguished.

Three months on from the fire, things seem to have turned a corner. People are steadily returning to the city centre as Christmas draws near, helped too by the new mix of market stalls and activities making the most of the traffic-less space along Donegall Place and High Street. This comes on top of recent confirmation that Primark have been granted permission to try and restore the façade of the building, with a new ‘tunnel’ set to open next week to vastly improve access to Royal Avenue.

With any luck, these efforts won’t be too late. I can understand the view of those who wish to try and protect as much of Bank Buildings as possible, but I think that was the wrong course of action. No matter if you have the best structural engineers in the world working on the project, the now derelict building simply will never be the same. Trying to preserve an empty shell, at any cost, has exacerbated the pain of losing most of the original building.

Let’s hope the magic of Christmas brings some much-needed cheer for our retailers in the city centre.