Crumlin Road courthouse has not only been a Belfast landmark since 1850, and the scene of many legal dramas down the years, but it is also a building of considerable architectural significance.
It is extremely sad that it has fallen into such severe disrepair since it closed in 1998, with a series of malicious fires leaving it virtually as a burnt out ruin.
The plans to transform the site on a busy thoroughfare into a luxury £25m hotel are ambitious, as we report today, and will be widely welcomed.
It is intended that the new business should open its doors within 18 months and it should all form an important part of the overall regeneration of the city.
