Jamie Robinson, a 25-year-old urban explorer, told how a shopping centre near Belfast, which he used to visit as a child has been left ‘abandoned’ and ‘crumbling’
An urban explorer has revealed the eerie interior of an derelict shopping centre left to rot with moss-covered floors and a shattered roof.
Jamie Robinson, 25, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, was shocked by the state of the site when he stepped inside the so-called Flagship shopping centre in Bangor, about 12 miles east of the capital. He found collapsed roofs, smashed shop windows and rotting floors throughout the vast, empty complex.
Describing the building as “crumbling”, Jamie shared footage of the site on TikTok, where it has racked up over 233,000 views. “It was quite a different explore for us” Jamie said. “Usually they are quite creepy, scary and it’s a mystery but this one was the opposite. It was a bit of a personal experience – when I was a kid my mum used to make us go to that shopping centre every Easter for her to go shopping.”
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“So it was quite an interesting experience seeing this shopping centre in a completely different state that what I had seen as a child,” he added.
The shopping centre opened in 2005 but closed in 2019. Iin the last six years, it has just been left to rot,” Jamie said. “The floors and the roof all coming down. It was left abandoned and now it is just crumbling. You can literally hear when anyone is walking because of the amount of glass and the roof is coming down around everywhere.”
“The main hall is so overgrown, green mould everywhere, it’s crazy. They used it for a bit for dogs after closing but since it has been abandoned,” he added.
Jamie explained the pallets, wheels and pads scattered around the main hall are remnants of its use for rescue dog training.
In his video, captioned “Abandoned Flagship Shopping Mall”, he filmed himself walking through the centre, showing boarded-up shops, broken glass, green and black floors, the main atrium and an old cafe area.
One person wrote in the comments: “I will never understand how a beautiful coastal town like Bangor has fallen into the state it has.”
However, there is hope for the site. The shopping centre is now under the control of private investment company Northhold Group, which is advancing redevelopment plans for 2025.
A spokesperson for Northhold Group said: “We’re delighted to confirm our progressive regeneration plans for the derelict Flagship shopping centre. We hope that the Bangor community and Ards and North Downs Borough Council see the positive opportunities for economic development and the boost to city centre rejuvenation that this innovative project will bring, at no cost to the public.”
The proposed plans include a refurbishment car park, 75,000 square feet of grade A office space, a pedestrian-friendly urban green park with public seating, renovated retail units, along with space for restaurants and cafés and plaza for events, Belfast News Letter reported in June.