A business owner in north Belfast who was forced out of his premises by a building collapse has said he is still paying more than £5,000 a year in rates.
Anthony McCambridge owns Castle Locksmith & DIY on the Antrim Road but faced massive upheaval when the gable wall of a building next door came crashing down in March.
Six months on and the destruction on the junction of the Limestone Road remains an eyesore and a safety concern, with recent reports of a further collapse being investigated.
Although he has managed to find a smaller shop close by, Mr McCambridge still has to fork out substantial rate payments as the owner of a building he can no longer access.
"It was a rough few months trying to get reopened again," he told the Irish News.
He said that demolition work on the collapsed building is planned but has no idea of the timescale.
"The council have told me they can issue a summons against the owner to take action, but due to the laws dating back to the 1800s it means there would be a very minimal fine.
"It is my understanding the council are willing to go that way and take court action if the demolition doesn't go ahead."
Left in a state of limbo, Mr McCambridge said he still can't access his building until the demolition is complete and any resulting damage to his walls are fixed.
Despite being without a shop for three months he has yet to receive any insurance payouts and his rates bill, while reduced for a vacant premises, still costs more than £5,000 a year.
"It's very hard to pay for that on top of keeping our business going from a much smaller premises," he said.
"It's just ongoing and is constantly going around in your head."
Kevin Johnston is co-owner of the Cryo Fitness Hub which was allowed to reopen after several weeks of closure.
"When it happened, we had to get our own structural engineers in to make sure our building was safe," he said.
"Ourselves and the landlord had to fund that. We still haven't got anything back from the insurance company.
"It seems the building owners are just waiting for money to demolish it. There must be something that can be done, you would think the council would have to step in for public safety.
"It seems a bit mad that a building can just be left like that."
A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “We’re investigating reports of further structural movement to a building on the Antrim Road. The site around the building remains secured to protect public health and safety. It is the responsibility of the property owner to carry out further works to the building. We continue to liaise with the property owner to monitor their progress.”
