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Co Down courthouse to be regenerated into community space

Una Duffy, Development Manager Heritage Lottery Fund in NI, Kieran Gilmore, Open House Festival Director and Sharon Heatherington, Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service pictured at Bangor Courthouse, which is to be regenerated as a community facility. Photo by Andrew Towe, Parkway Photography Ltd
Una Duffy, Development Manager Heritage Lottery Fund in NI, Kieran Gilmore, Open House Festival Director and Sharon Heatherington, Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service pictured at Bangor Courthouse, which is to be regenerated as a community facili Una Duffy, Development Manager Heritage Lottery Fund in NI, Kieran Gilmore, Open House Festival Director and Sharon Heatherington, Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service pictured at Bangor Courthouse, which is to be regenerated as a community facility. Photo by Andrew Towe, Parkway Photography Ltd

BANGOR Courthouse is to be regenerated as a festival venue.

Plans were announced yesterday to transfer the iconic Victoria building from the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service (NICTS) to Open House Festival (OHF).

The process will see the building, which has not been in use since 2013, initially leased to OHF.

It is hoped the plans will contribute to the regeneration of the Bangor seafront area, while creating a hub for community activities.

Kieran Gilmore, Open House Festival Director, said the transfer was a "huge step for the festival, and a really exciting opportunity for Bangor".

NICTS acting chief executive Peter Luney said: "This iconic building served the community of Bangor as a Magistrate’s Court for over 60 years. I am sure that its transfer and regeneration will bring this piece of history back into use for the benefit of the local community for years to come."

Stephen Reid, Chief Executive of Ards and North Down Borough Council said Bangor would "benefit immensely from the restoration of this iconic listed building in the town centre, seeing it transform into a permanent multi-purpose festival venue".