Belfast city centre boundary should include Market, Falls and Sandy Row, councillors told
Belfast councillors have asked for clarification on the exact boundaries of the city centre, after showing bemusement at a map and current definitions of the outline of the city.
At a recent Belfast City Council committee meeting, elected members questioned a map provided by council officers, and asked for greater clarity in the future.
Some elected representatives asked for parts of areas such as the Market, Grosvenor Road, Falls and Sandy Row to be included in the city centre boundaries to benefit from increased funding opportunities.
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In June members of the council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee raised queries in relation to the boundary of the city centre and how these are used to delineate project borders. Councillors asked for a rationale around red line boundaries including the city centre boundary.
Officers returned with a map of the city centre, and confirmed it was given its definition within planning policy in the draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan, set up by the Stormont Department for Infrastructure in 2015.
Officers said the city centre boundary will be reviewed as part of the local policies plan stage of the Belfast Local Development Plan process. This plan, adopted last year by the council, contains local policies and site-specific proposals in relation to the development and use of land around the city.
At the September meeting of the C, G&R Committee, DUP Alderman James Lawlor told the chamber: “The map we were provided with in the papers doesn’t really clarify anything for us, and I am sure other members would agree it is not very clear. I would appreciate it if members would be provided with a clearer map. I also think the map is incorrect, so I assume I will have to wait for the review of that.”
Sinn Féin Councillor Christina Black said: “I totally understand why we need boundaries when it comes to funding, because we don’t want to dilute the impact of the funding by spreading it too far. But this should be more about trying to undo those false barriers that have been created in the city by the Westlink.”
She proposed that Grosvenor Road to Dunville park, the Market in its entirety, and Castle Street to Albert Street be considered as part of the “city core,” while there should remain flexibility on a case-to-case basis.
SDLP Councillor Donal Lyons said that the BMAP boundary was “never a legal document” and added any proposed changes to the boundary would go through the City Hall Planning Committee. A council officer confirmed this.
Councillor Black said: “I would like to stand over the proposal because these areas are falling out of any boundary. They are not in the inner north west, they are not in the east in some cases, the Market falls outside Maritime and Lagan View. They need to be placed somewhere.
“The fact is that Grosvenor Road is split down the middle by the Westlink. We have the new transport hub as a shining beacon of the future on one half, and then on the other half we have paving that is uneven. It is hysterical, one half of Grosvenor looks great, but I will say nothing about the rest.
“And I would say the same about the lower half of the Falls. And I am sure Sandy Row has the same concerns.”
DUP Councillor Ian McLaughlin said: “I can’t even make a name out in that map. I don’t want any decision made until I can understand fully what that boundary is.
"I do feel alarmed about the inner northwest, because Brown Square was at one time included in it, then was taken out. Yet another inner city community was excluded from the possible benefits of regeneration.”
Sinn Féin Councillor Ronan McLaughlin proposed successfully that when the consultation is being conducted on the new city centre boundaries that Planning officers at City Hall also brief the City Growth and Regeneration Committee.
The latest council committee report on the boundaries states: “Where funding is defined or limited, it is often necessary to define the parameters and area of funding to ensure maximisation of the impact of benefits within a defined programme or when addressing area specific issues.
“While some programmes do need to be defined within a certain area for a specific reason, it is acknowledged that using standard approaches may not always provide the best results and may lead to parties, groups, businesses or communities just outside the boundary area failing to be able to avail of or engage with the initiative.”
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