Hop House beat stiff competition to lift the title, sponsored by PPL PRS, including Dorman’s Bar, Magherafelt, The Goat’s Toe, Bangor and The Corner House Bar, Lurgan.

On collecting the coveted gong,  at at Belfast’s Europa Hotel, Nathan Bowen said: “We have great team at Hop House and it is a brilliant venue to visit. Championing live music is what it is all about and it’s great to see venues like ours flying again after what they had to endure during the worst of Covid. This ward means an awful lot.”

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The Bangor venue is is just one of the Live Five vying to take home the gong at this year’s LCN Awards at Belfast’s Europa Hotel on September 30.

The nominees are:

• Dormans Bar, Magherafelt
• The Goat’s Toe, Bangor
• Henessys, Omagh
• Hop House, Bangor
• The Corner House, Lurgan

Mark Ennis from the Goat’s Toe told LCN: “We are a vibrant and unique setting for fantastic food, drinks and live music.

“The offerings are not your run of the mill pub grub, cheap pints and middle of the road mediocre cover acts… but tasty food, cocktails at an unbeatable price teamed with excellent service with the best craic and last but not least … the best live music lineups all year round!

“From Drag queen bingo with a DJ, to solo acoustic , duo, trio and full bands ranging from punk, ska, country, folk, rock and metal and much much more!

“Original music is a strong focal point with weekly open mic and jam nights and The Goat’s toe has hosted some very special nights, which have featured open house festival, in house festivals, with such acts as Gareth Dunlop, Little Matador, Ryan McMullen, Coolio and many more.

“The Goat’s Toe will always be a favourite amongst music lovers and performers alike and will continue to grow and support in helping young artists perform and showcasing live bands.”

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In 2018 Expedia Capital unveiled a £3m plan to redevelop Bangor’s Royal Hotel into a block of 21 apartments, while retaining the original facade of the building.

However, when work began on the site, which overlooks the town’s marina, major structural issues were uncovered, including corrosion the building’s steel underpinnings.

In light of this, revised plans have now been forward for a development known as the Royal Quays that would see the existing building demolished and new facade facing onto Quay Street built in keeping with the existing architecture.

A spokesman for the developer’s said: “Our plan has always been to renergise and reinvigorate a building which played such a significant role in the history of Bangor and the fabric of the town centre.

“Our initial planning approval paved the way for us to transform a derelict building into a vibrant mixed-use development to provide homes with views across the Irish Sea for generations to come, and restaurant space for the people of Bangor and beyond to enjoy.

‘New life to this area’

“It was important for us to maintain the structure of the Royal Hotel when we submitted our initial planning application, and we were delighted when this was welcomed through planning approval by Ards & North Down Borough Council.

“Upon the granting of the planning permission, we were excited to move forward with the implementation of the planning consent.

“Due to corrosion of the external steelwork being discovered at a late stage we have had no alternative but to submit a planning application for the demolition of the building and construction of a new replica façade onto Quay Street, which matches the existing scheme that previously received planning approval.

“All material finishes will match those of the previously approved scheme.

“Our proposal will benefit the ongoing regeneration of Bangor town centre by providing town centre living opportunities and commercial units that would be well suited for restaurants and cafes.

“We hope to honour the history of this site by keeping the finish of the Royal Quays in keeping with the area, and matching the scheme that the council previously welcomed.

“We hope the council will give this amended scheme the same support afforded to our original application, and we can work together to bring new life to this area of Bangor.”

The Royal Hotel was built in 1773 and later rebuilt in 1932 by the O’Hara family, who ran it until it was taken over by the Donegan family in the early 1990s.

Thousands of people crossed the threshold down the years with singer Sir Van Morrison among the famous names who regularly visited.

A spokesperson for The Royal Quays said: “Our plan has always been to renergise and reinvigorate a building which played such a significant role in the history of Bangor and the fabric of the town centre.

“Due to corrosion of the external steelwork being discovered at a late stage we have had no alternative but to submit a planning application for the demolition of the building and construction of a new replica façade onto Quay Street, which matches the existing scheme that previously received planning approval.

“All material finishes will match those of the previously approved scheme. Our proposal will benefit the ongoing regeneration of Bangor town centre by providing town centre living opportunities and commercial units that would be well suited for restaurants and cafes.

“We hope to honour the history of this site by keeping the finish of the Royal Quays in keeping with the area, and matching the scheme that the council previously welcomed.”

Ards and North Down Borough Council will now be asked to sign off on the new plans.

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The Jamaica Inn took the decision to close for a week, telling its customers: “It is with a heavy heart that we have taken the decision to close for a week from tomorrow, Monday 3rd January. We will reopen Monday 10th January.

“The staff who are still in a position to work are going the extra mile to cover the staff who aren’t, and this can’t go on indefinitely.

“Businesses are being forced to take these decisions with little to no support from the government.

‘Rest and recuperate’

“This is not a decision we have made lightly but it’s been increasingly hard to cover the rota with the appropriate numbers of staff and also provide the level of service our customers expect and deserve.

“A week will give our staff a chance to rest and recuperate.

“We apologise to the customers who were booked to visit this week. If we haven’t already, we will be in touch in due course to rearrange your visit.

“Any queries please direct message or email info@thejamaicainn.co.uk.

“Thanks for your understanding. Stay safe and see you on the 10th. The (Gutted) Jam Fam xx.”

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In the following months new outlets will also be opened in Antrim and Ballymena, with each one creating 50 full and part-time jobs.

The chain is to launching in Bangor before the end of this year, taking the brand to a total of nine sites in the north.

Each outlet will create 50 new full- and part-time roles, on top of the 250 it has already generated since it first opened in Northern Ireland three years ago.

The newest Belfast location in Boucher Road will seat up to 96 guests inside the restaurant, with some outside seating also available, while the Antrim and Ballymena sites will seat 100 guests inside.

All three venues will provide a drive-thru and takeaway service and delivery options will be made available to those in the local area.

Kevin Hydes, chief commercial officer of Tim Hortons franchise in the UK, said: “We began our journey in Northern Ireland three years ago when we opened the doors to our first restaurant in Belfast and have been welcomed with open arms ever since.

“Given the popularity of our current locations, it made sense to launch this newest restaurant with a drive-thru in Boucher Road so that we can make ourselves available to even more people.

“We have invested heavily since inception in 2018 and our growing presence in Northern Ireland demonstrates our commitment to the country.

“We are confident in our growth here, look forward to connecting with our friends in Northern Ireland and can’t wait to share what more we have in store.”

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