Council’s public art plans to boost Belfast’s regeneration

Belfast City Council is to use public art to boost the city’s regeneration, after the news that it is one of ten organisations across the UK to have secured funding from the ‘PROJECT’ scheme, which aims to involve artists in regeneration and to encourage quality urban design.

The Council has been awarded £15,000 to appoint an artist to work alongside planners in a design visioning process for key roads into the city during 2005. This is the only ‘PROJECT’ grant to be awarded in Northern Ireland and the Council secured the maximum amount available to one organisation.

Councillor Tom Hartley, Chairman of the Council’s Arts Sub-Committee, commented: “I am very pleased that the Council is demonstrating leadership in putting art at the centre of the city’s regeneration.

“This artistic appointment is a small, but very important, step in challenging and improving the design process in Belfast. It also is about getting people to think more about how our environment can both inspire and shape us.”

Cllr Hartley said Belfast City Council was committed to enhancing public space in the city, through the ‘Brighter Belfast’ campaign and the ‘Renewing The Routes’ arterial routes initiative.

The latter is an innovative partnership, which aims, through integrated development plans, to enhance the physical appearance of key routes into the city that have been suffering from serious decline over past decades.

‘PROJECT’ funding has been made available by the Commission for the Built Environment and Arts and Business.

(MB/SP)