Consultation begins on Belfast regeneration

The direct rule minister with responsibility for social development, John Spellar, has issued proposals setting out a regeneration framework for Belfast City Centre for consultation today.

The framework, commissioned by the Department for Social Development (DSD) from Consultants GVA Grimley, sets out a 15-year plan to maximise regeneration potential and re-position Belfast as a leading European city.

Mr Spellar said: "Following the decision to adopt the Victoria Square Development Scheme as Government’s main regeneration priority, Des Browne, the former Minister for Social Development, announced a review of City Centre regeneration policy. The review was commissioned to take an informed look at the area and to propose an integrated and sustainable framework for the medium to long-term regeneration of the heart of Belfast.

“This report identifies the economic, social and physical context for regeneration. The core principle is to regenerate the City Centre from its heart outwards, focusing on appropriate retail-led development, which is proposed as a guiding development theme alongside office, tourism and leisure and the public realm. The report also proposes to harness development opportunities to help drive the regeneration of Belfast’s most disadvantaged communities.

He said that the document sets a “high but attainable” vision for Belfast as a premier city for the 21st Century.

There are three core goals at the heart of this transformation:

• creating a vibrant city as a centre for learning, culture, retail, leisure and living;
• improving accessibility to the City Centre by all modes of transport;
• enhancing public spaces.

The framework for regeneration strategy set out in the report takes account of policy and guidance set down in the Regional Development Strategy and the Regional Transport Strategy.

Key priorities in the consultant’s City Centre Policy Framework include:

• DSD needs to take the lead on delivering a series of core projects and initiatives central to the regeneration of Belfast City Centre;
• The Victoria Square development should be progressed with vigour;
• The development of a scheme in the Royal Avenue/Cathedral Quarter area as long as this is complementary to Victoria Square;
• DSD should commission a detailed regeneration strategy and masterplan for the area to the rear of Castle Court/North Street;
• DSD should identify potential sites for office development in the City Centre and focus on helping to deliver the development of vacant sites in the Office Quarter;
• DSD must be proactive in facilitating a high quality office development on the Grosvenor Road site, which reinforces the City Centre as the principal office location;
• DSD should procure the necessary urban design/ public realm design work for a number of key city centre streets.

Following this public consultation the DSD will make its contribution to informing the policy framework for City Centre regeneration in the draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan, which is due to be published by the Department of the Environment later this year.

(SP)