By 
A PLAN to demolish an historic building in Cookstown has divided departments within the local council.
Last year, planning officials at Mid Ulster District Council recommended refusing planning permission for the town’s old police station at Loy Street to be knocked down to make way for a new business and housing development. However, following a review of the application, planning officials at the council have now recommended that the proposal gets the green light.
This is despite the council’s Environment, Conservation and Design team, which is responsible for protecting conservation areas, being against the demolition plan.
The recommendation to approve the plans for the town centre site is due to come before a meeting of the council’s planning committee tomorrow.
The building at 6 Loy Street was built in 1867/68 and was later used as Cookstown’s police barracks up to the 1970s.
It is now owned by Cookstown-based construction firm MACM.
The Loy Street building has been unused for many years and has fallen into a state of disrepair. It was added to the ‘heritage at risk’ list in 2023 but does not have listed status.
MACM want to demolish the building and replace it with a building which would have office space on the ground floor and six apartments above.
The project would also see the construction of 11 houses to the rear of the building.
In June 2025, a report recommending that planning permission for the Loy Street development be refused was presented to the council’s planning committee.
However, a final decision on the matter was deferred to allow for the council’s principal planning officer to visit the site and review the reasons for refusal.
As a result of the review, a new report, which will be presented to councillors at a meeting of the planning committee tomorrow, recommends that the plans get the go-ahead.
The report’s author said they had taken on board the comments of the council’s Environment, Conservation and Design team that dereliction in itself does not diminish the building’s ‘material contribution to the distinctive character of the area’.
“However given the physical state of the building, there are serious concerns that if left unattended it will fall into a state of disrepair where it would be unrecognisable and would detract visually from the entire surrounding area,” the report states.
“The Council has no remit to force the owner to improve the appearance or condition of the building but through this application there is an opportunity to secure a new building which is in keeping with the built form of the existing street pattern and which will bring regeneration to this site as well as to the derelict and vacant back lands, whilst also providing 17 new units of accommodation.”
