The Department of Environment (DOE) has served an Urgent Works Notice on the owners of the 1A Academy Road.

The two-storey corner Victorian House had been subject to fire on 5 September 2013. Substantial portions of the roof structure were lost in the fire and the building has been left open to the elements. Attempts to engage with the owner have not resulted in action to secure the property. A neighbouring property attached to 1A Academy Road, which is also a listed building, is also suffering substantial water ingress as a result of the fire. This notice aims to secure both listed buildings.

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Welcoming the move, Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said: "The serving of this Notice is a further tangible commitment by DOE to our rich heritage and reflects my Department's aim that listed buildings should be protected. Listed buildings are jewels from the past which we need to conserve for present and future generations; once gone they can never be brought back.

"Dereliction can have a significant impact upon communities and areas. 1A Academy Road is located in a prominent part of a Conservation Area and it is therefore particularly important that action is taken in this case.

"It must also be remembered that listed buildings attract much tourism to an area and there is always the potential to develop this further by securing and preserving them. I am determined that we should do that and this Urgent Works Notice is an example of that determination."

(CD/JP)