A sweeter future for Larne’s former Halifax? Coffee shop and ice cream plans submitted
The former Halifax bank building on Main Street, Larne at the centre of a proposal for a new coffee shop and galateria.
Wednesday 30 September 2026
Plans have been submitted to turn Larne’s former Halifax bank into a coffee shop and gelateria.
An agent acting on behalf of Assemble Brunch Company has applied to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for a change of use at 33 Main Street.
The proposal would bring the vacant premises back into use as a coffee shop and ice cream business. The Halifax branch closed in November 2023 following changes in customers’ banking habits.
Bank closures on the high street
The Halifax closure was one of several bank departures from Larne town centre over the past decade.
Floor plan for proposed new coffee shop and galateria.
Danske Bank left Main Street in 2018,
while Bank of Ireland and First Trust closed in 2013. Ulster Bank ceased operations at its Upper Cross Street premises in 2022.
Santander closed its Main Street branch in December 2025.
Concerns over neighbouring Dunnes building
The neighbouring former Dunnes Stores premises closed in 2019 and has been marketed for £1 million.
In July, East Antrim Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly travelled to the retailer’s Dublin headquarters to seek talks about the impact of the building’s seven-year vacancy on Larne town centre.
He hand-delivered a letter addressed to Margaret Heffernan and sought a meeting with the person responsible for the company’s properties in Northern Ireland. He said he waited more than seven hours without securing a meeting.
Letter highlights impact on town centre
The letter said:
“Over the past seven years, the condition of the property has become increasingly worrying. The building has been broken into on numerous occasions and the car park has become a location for anti-social behaviour, including public drinking and drug use.
“This is one of the most prominent buildings on Larne’s Main Street. Instead of contributing to the town centre, it has been left sitting empty year after year. It has become an eyesore. It affects neighbouring businesses, reduces footfall and undermines the efforts of everyone else who is trying to improve and invest in the town centre.”
Town centre vacancy levels
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council staff carried out a fresh audit of vacant business premises in Larne, Carrickfergus and Ballymena town centres earlier this year.
An earlier council audit recorded vacancy and dereliction affecting 26 per cent of Larne town centre properties in 2023, up from 22 per cent in 2020.
That audit identified 12 vacant or derelict buildings deemed unfit for occupancy, with Dunluce Street and Point Street the worst affected.
The application for the former Halifax premises proposes a new use for one of Main Street’s empty buildings, subject to planning approval.
