Councillors in Armagh have called for urgent repairs to the Primate’s Chapel in the Palace Demesne after highlighting long-standing maintenance failures.

TUV Councillor Keith Ratcliffe said the heating system has not worked since 2014 and that damp is present on internal walls. He also raised the need for repairs to flooring, the exterior of the chapel, and the surrounding grounds.

The chapel is a listed building where Queen Elizabeth II granted city status to Armagh in 1994.

Lord Mayor Stephen Moutray confirmed he had raised the same issues with council officers several weeks earlier. He described the building, which dates from 1770, as a key civic asset.

Ulster Unionist Councillor Kyle Savage said he had reported problems at the site between six months and a year ago. DUP Councillor Scott Armstrong said he had been assured over a year ago that the boiler would be replaced and other works carried out.

Ulster Unionist Councillor Julie Flaherty said there had been no heating at the chapel during her term as Lord Mayor in 2018 and 2019. SDLP Councillor Thomas O’Hanlon said the wider Palace Demesne had not been properly maintained since the formation of ABC Council.

Councillors called for a report to be brought to full council to address the condition of the building and grounds.