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Plans submitted to transform iconic former department store

Mike McBrideBBC News NI
BBC A large building with a number of boarded up windows. BBC
Austins department store, in the Diamond area of Londonderry, closed more than 10 years ago after the business went into liquidation

An iconic former department store that traded for more than 180 years before its closure could be transformed into a new cultural and community hub with a library and exhibition space, under new plans.

Austins, in the Diamond area of Londonderry, closed more than 10 years ago after the business went into liquidation.

Last year, the building, one of Derry's most recognisable landmarks, was bought by the Inner City Trust with the aim of restoring the listed building back to its former glory.

The application will now go before Derry City and Strabane District Council for consideration.

The ground floor of a vacant shop. the exit door is in the centre, with wooden floors and pillars close by
When Austins closed in 2016, more than 50 workers lost their jobs and the building has lay empty ever since

The Inner City Trust bought the building back in 2025 after receiving a grant of £1.2m from Stormont's Department for Communities and also received almost £0.5m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to pay for explanatory works for the historic building.

Under the proposed plans, a rear extension is also proposed for the Austins building, spanning the first to fourth floors, alongside a range of internal and external alterations.

The plans would also relocate what was the existing café from the third floor to the top floor with views overlooking the city centre.

Austins was a Derry institution

A blue plague that hangs outside the former Austins department store in Derry denoting the year it opened and that it is the 'worlds oldest independent department store'
Austins was synonymous with shopping in Derry for almost two centuries

Spread over five storeys and 25,000 sq ft, the Austins building dominates its corner of the Diamond and was once synonymous with shopping in Derry for almost two centuries.

In 1830 - some 20 years before Harrods of London began trading and more than a quarter of a century before Macy's of New York opened its doors - Thomas Austin came to Derry and opened a drapery shop on a city centre corner.

At its height of popularity, Austins had become a cornerstone of shopping, attracting generations of customers and becoming one of the city's best-known retail landmarks.

As shopping habits changed in the early part of the new century, Austins came under pressure, posting significant losses in 2011 and 2012.

In November 2014, the listed building was sold to the City Hotel Group. The receiver then sold the trading side of the business.

When it closed in 2016, more than 50 workers lost their jobs and the building has lay empty ever since.

Who are the Inner City Trust?

The Inner City Trust was founded in the 1970s, with the then-Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry James Mehaffey and Catholic Bishop of Derry Edward Daly among its founding trustees, and was designed to inject commercial and social life into the city centre after a decade of the Troubles.

It has, in the decades since, developed some of the city's most recognisable buildings, including the Tower Museum, the Tower Hotel, the Bishop's Gate Hotel.

The Austins building is not the only historic building earmarked for regeneration and re-purposing by the Inner City Trust.

Getty The former Danske Bank building is a large grey building. It is viewed from Derry's historic walls were cannons are seen up against the city walls. CopyrightGetty
More than £1.4m in funding was announced earlier this year by the Department for Communities to secure the future of the former Danske Bank building in Derry

More than £1.4m in funding was announced in August earlier this year by the Department for Communities (DfC) to secure the future of the former Danske Bank building in Londonderry.

The loan, from the department's North West Regeneration Fund, allowed the Inner City Trust to purchase the building in Shipquay Square, which was built between 1860 and 1879.

The plans are to bring the building back into commercial use, with the project aimed at supporting the regeneration of the city centre.

Hopeful proposals can 'bring more footfall'

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Paterson Show, Paul McCole, who owns the Sandwich Company in Derry City centre, said traders are "incredibly excited" by the proposals.

"High streets are struggling, as we all know, and many have issues with derelict buildings and empty premises, especially when you have one that is as iconic as Austins. It should be utilised.

"All the traders are talking about this, and this will hopefully bring more life to the area and also bring more footfall. It's all about regeneration and helping businesses survive and thrive in the area."

PA Colum Eastwood has dark black hair and a beard. He is wearing a blue shirt and navy suit. PA
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood says the proposals are at the forefront of proposals to regenerate Derry city centre

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said the redevelopment of the iconic Austins building "has been at the forefront of proposals to regenerate Derry city centre" and welcomed the new plans.

"Generations of Derry people have happy memories of visiting Austins with friends and family, and now young people will be able to make their own as it is re-imagined as a community and cultural hub in the heart of our city.

"Following on from the announcement of work on the old Danske Bank building, this is another vote of confidence in our city centre."