Bankmore Square is across the street from the ETAP hotel and Filthy Nastys Nightclub. Much of the Bankmore Street area was cleared to make way for an inner ring road which was never built. Until this visit I thought that it was Blackmore street rather than Bankmore Street.
In 1860 the Sisters of Mercy founded a home for women and girls at Bankmore Street but handed over to the Good Shepherd Sisters in 1867.
The last time I visited the area there was an unattractive public space and to the best of my knowledge planning permission for the demolition of an old cinema complex was applied for about five years ago. The proposal included the refurbishment of Bankmore Square open space and wider Public realm improvements to surrounding footpath network.
At 11 storeys (50 metres high), Bankmore Square will become the tallest office building in Northern Ireland upon its completion. The structure will feature a large atrium and interconnecting spaces between floors. It promises to be one of Belfast’s iconic buildings, attracting top-end tenants through its distinctive design and world-class office accommodations.
THE ETAP HOTEL WHY ARE THERE NO STREET FACING WINDOWS
The 146-bedroom Etap opened its doors in 2013. In January 2015 Etap it was sold in a deal worth £6.6m and the sale also included a ground floor retail unit which is currently occupied by the, unusually named, Filthy McNasty’s pub.
A local once told me that this building was designed to be a carpark but at the last minute it was decided to convert it to a hotel and that is why there are no windows on the street facing side of the building … of course I cannot find any evidence to support the claim and doubt that it is true.
Back in June 2014 I decided to visit Belfast on a strict budget and the ETAP [owned by the same group as IBIS] was by far the cheapest available. Many reviews at the time mentioned location as being a major positive but I cannot agree as the location was at best very downmarket and seedy.
As already mentioned Filthy McNasty, pub night club, is located next door to the ETAP hotel and to some degree the name describes the location which does not present the city at its best. I suspect what they, the reviewers, actually mean is that the hotel is well located relative to all places of interest in Belfast and I cannot argue with that. However, because of noise throughout the night coupled with anti-social behaviour within the immediate area I decided to move, after two nights, to the Europa at great cost.
Since 2014 I have avoided budget hotels in Belfast but, unfortunately, good hotels in Belfast are very expensive.
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