Foster insists Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan can succeed

Minister of the Environment, Sam Foster, has told delegates attending a DoE-hosted conference that the Belfast metropolitan area can be a success in the new century.

The Minister urged people to participate in the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan and to contribute to its success.

The DoE hosted the “Successful Metropolitan Areas” conference as the latest step in the wide-ranging public consultation being carried out in connection with the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP).

Mr Foster said: “The success of any development plan is founded on local community acceptance. From the outset of BMAP, it has been my aim to involve the whole community. This will address the complex and interrelated issues which must be considered, and develop a new vision for both the urban and rural area.

“In order to promote public debate on important issues which will help shape the future development of the Metropolitan Area, I have appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers, in association with staff from Queens University and the University of Ulster, to undertake a comprehensive and wide-ranging public consultation on the Issues Paper which we launched in December last year. This is currently underway, involving 37 public meetings throughout the Plan area.

“I am calling on community, voluntary and environmental groups, the trade and industry sector, elected representatives and members of the general public to respond to our Issues Paper. It is your area; it is your future.”

The keynote speakers include John FitzGerald, Research Professor, Economic and Social Research Institute Dublin, who told delegates: “While in the past incentives may have attracted firms to a region, the issue is now, where does skilled labour want to live. Making towns and cities attractive to residents is, as a result, of growing importance in promoting regional development.”

John Worthington, Visiting Professor, University of Sheffield and Chalmers Technical University Gothenburg, Sweden, said, “ The success of towns and cities today is dependent on both creating a vibrant environment through the ideas and energy of local communities and looking outwards to work with like-minded communities, and learn from experience.”

Kelvin Campbell, the Director of Urban Initiatives, London & Dublin, told the conference, “Good urban design is essential if we are to produce attractive, high-quality, sustainable places in which people will want to live, work and relax. It is fundamental to the objective of an urban renaissance.”

The Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan will cover the Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and North Down Council areas. (SP)