Businesses Warn of No-Go Zone on Pump Street
Businesses located on Pump Street in Londonderry have expressed concerns that the area has effectively become a no-go zone. The street has been partially closed for nine months due to a deteriorating listed building.
Barriers and shipping containers have been positioned near the former Convent of Mercy since October 2025, when the building was damaged by Storm Amy.
Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) reported that the building's owners, the Derry-based Martin Property Group, have not yet submitted a planning application for the Georgian structure, which dates back to the early 1800s.
Business owners have indicated that the absence of efforts to stabilise the building and reopen the street has increasingly hindered their operations.
NI has reached out to the Martin Property Group for comment.
Traders Say Public Perceives Street as Fully Closed
Claire Mulvenna, co-owner of an optician on Pump Street in the city's historic cathedral quarter, commented on the situation.
"I had a lot of goodwill to begin with, and understood the storm damage was an uncontrollable situation."
She noted that as time has passed, footfall in the area has declined, making it more difficult for businesses to sustain themselves.
"We've seen situations with listed buildings where this can carry on for years,"she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.
"I just believe there's not enough being done."
Impact of Barriers and Decline in Visitors
Joe Doherty, who owns apartments on Pump Street, reported a decrease in visitor numbers over the past nine months.
"It's going to get sorted whether it's in the next year, next two years … but in the meantime you have two businesses closed up because their footfall was down so bad,"he said.
"Whenever I chat to guests they say it's such a shame, it's such a beautiful street in a historic area in our city centre and it is looking like a building site.
"I feel ashamed, absolutely ashamed that we have visitors coming from all over the world, America and Europe, and they're walking down one of the most beautiful streets in the city centre, a historical street, and there's four massive containers blocking the view up to the cathedral."
He added that people are no longer walking up Pump Street because they believe it is closed.
Local Traders Report Significant Losses
Pauric Lawne, owner of a craft shop on neighbouring London Street, described the situation as uncertain.
"The footfall is completely down and this is nine months on,"he said.
He explained that traders have missed out on the Halloween trade and that the Christmas market was cancelled. Additionally, plans for a summer market on Pump Street were also abandoned.
"Everything's up in the air at the moment and these are the things we kind of need to attract locals and tourists into the area,"he added.
"It just looks like it is a no-go zone."
Council Report Details Planning Proposal and Owner Responsibility
A report presented to councillors last week indicated that a proposal was submitted by the property owners on 14 April.
"The proposal submitted seeks a comprehensive redevelopment of the properties at 10-16 Pump Street,"the report stated.
"The planning department has carried out a number of consultations on the proposed scheme and met with the building owner and their agent on 29 June 2026 to discuss the proposed scheme and provide advice with consultee input."
The report emphasised that
"ultimately the solution to stabilising, securing and preserving the building rests with the building owner."
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