Belfast City Masterplan

Review

Investment Programme2012-2015

www.belfastcity.gov.uk/masterplan

1 Executive Summary 1

2 Preface 25

3 Introduction 29

3.1 The Review 31

4 Refreshed Analysis 35

4.1 Belfast- Regional positioning and economic

competitiveness 36

4.2 City Competitiveness, Drivers and Inhibitors 37

4.3 Belfasts Population 41

4.4 Belfast City Centre Performance 43

4.5 Belfast- Connectivity and Transport Performance 47

4.6 Validated Thematic Issues 55

4.7 The Spatial Plan Review 58

4.8 Validated Spatial issues 61

4.9 The Refreshed Masterplan 62

5 Revised Masterplan Strategy 2011-2020 67

5.1 Quality of Life & Wellbeing 68

5.2 Revised Objectives 69

5.3 Revised Spatial Strategy 71

5.4 Policy Priorities 71

6 Spatial Objectives 75

6.1 An Urban Policy for the Belfast City Region 76

6.2 Centre City 80

6.3 Neighbourhood City 90

7 Strategic Objectives 97

7.1 Learning City 98

7.2 Accessible and Connected City 101

7.3 Low Carbon City 105

7.4 The Digital City 109

7.5 Project Priorities with Identified Citywide Impact 111

7.6 Why these projects? 113

Review of the Belfast City Masterplan

2013

CONTENTS8 Implementation 115

8.1 Setting Priorities 116

8.2 The Ability to Deliver 116

8.3 The Belfast Delivery Forum 117

8.4 Assessing Projects 118

8.5 Focused Delivery: The Development of Key Performance Indicators and Plan Outcomes 118

8.7 Recommendations 119

Appendices 121

1executive summary

1

The Challenges.............................. 6Revised Masterplan Objectives..... 10Policy Priorities ................................12Spatial Priorities ..............................14Strategic Projects ..........................20Issues for Further Review ............22

2.0 MTV Awards Belfast 2011

1.0 V i c t o r i a S q u a r e ,C o r n m a r k e t

Acknowledgement

The Review of the Belfast Masterplan 2012 was led by SLR Consulting Ltd with economic and transportation input provided by Oxford Economics and SKM Colin Buchanan.

Comissioned by the Development Department, Belfast City Council

Cecil Ward Building4-10 Linenhall StreetBelfastBT2 8BP

Executive Summary Belfast City Council first published its city wide Masterplan in 2004. This was a response to the need for a joined up, singular vision for the city that could guide its development as it emerged from some 40 years of civil conflict. Given the very different set of economic circumstances which now exist the Council commissioned SLR Consulting Ltd to undertake a review of the Masterplan and align its strategy with the challenges likely to be faced by the city in the period 2012 -2020.

2004 MasterplanThe 2004 Masterplan had the stated intention of beginning the process of generating new growth in Belfast by laying the foundations for a revival of the City allowing it to more effectively play the role of regional capital. This revival would not be a matter of chance but would require:

Anhonestandunflinchinganalysisofthecitysproblemsand its relationship with its region the economic entity;

acommitmenttotackleevenunpalatableanddifficultissues

a strategic alignment to support a single long term strategic framework for the development of the city;

commitmentofenergyandfinancialresourcesandintellectual resources to the implementation of that strategy;

clear, effective responsibilities for the development,

implementation and review of that strategy.

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Belfast City Council positioned the Masterplan as a core policy document which informed its response to the regional planning debate in Northern Ireland, in particular the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan, the Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland and the Regional Transportation Strategy. The Masterplan document has also guided the Councils regeneration activity and the development of its social and economic strategies including the impressive growth which the city has seen in the tourism sector in recent years.

The primary achievement of the Masterplan however has been to bring focus to an ongoing discussion about how best to manage and direct the systematic redevelopment of this city to benefit all its citizens. The Masterplan gave rise to the State of the City debates which have brought leading urban regeneration experts from across the world to Belfast to share experience and best practice. These events have stimulated healthy debate amongst local practitioners as to how this post-industrial city should be regenerated to allow it to compete in the global marketplace.

The debates engendered greater stakeholder engagement and a confidence within the City to promote itself internationally to private sector investors. This new found confidence helped shape the very substantial building and investment programme that has transformed parts of this city ahead of the economic downturn in 2008.

Political stability however has been the cornerstone of Belfasts revival. This stability has enabled the City Council to build its leadership capacity and to advance a progressive to do list, which was set out in the 2004 Document, in partnership with Government, the private sector and the community sector in the city. This to do list engaged many city stakeholders and released energy across the city producing an organic development response, the benefits of which can be seen today in almost all neighbourhoods.

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The city must also concentrate on liveability and its attractiveness as a destination of choice for residential use. There is also a need to create areas within the centre city for sustainable living by making the city centre a more attractive place to live with a high standard of living.

The ability to set priorities The pressures on public finances will demand that the city directs its resources to where they will produce the greatest benefits for the city as a whole. The city must focus these resources on a short list of game changing projects and gain a consensus to commit to making these happen. These projects should be those which promise the greatest return to the city in terms of enhancing its international competitiveness. The City Council is key to building and brokering this consensus.

The importance of targeted strategic partnering - The council must use its influence to create new partnerships to harness the power of the citys anchor institutions, primarily in the health and education sectors and begin to address issues on a city region basis. In many instances strategic issues could be more effectively addressed through coordination across anchor institutions.

The need to nurture city centre cohesion- The city has made substantial progress in rebuilding its city centre as the main hub of the regions business and employment services. This has been strengthened by the development and promotion of the city and region as an international destination for tourism.

A vibrant and attractive city centre is critical to securing investment within the city. Changes in retail trends and the demand for more productive retail space have however led to high vacancy rates within the city centre. A regeneration strategy focused on retail alone is no longer an appropriate policy response for the city centre. What is required is an integrated strategy focused around supporting employment growth, commercial development, learning and skills development, business innovation, services and the fusion of culture, arts and heritage to create a destination of choice.

The Challenges The dramatically different economic circumstances which the city now faces present a new set of challenges which must be overcome if momentum is to be maintained. They will include:

MaximisingthecityswealthbaseFacilitating investment in the citys business core is essential to the wellbeing of every citizen in Belfast. The city centre is the main source of employment in the region and generates incomes for families both within Belfast and the region as a whole. It is also the main source of the city finances required to provide services to the citys neighbourhoods. The city cannot deal with deprivation without creating wealth.

The ability to deal with deprivation Despite substantial economic growth prior to the current recession there was little if any positive impact on the citys poorest neighbourhoods. A combination of global recession and benefit reform is predicted to have a significant negative impact upon the citys most deprived communities. Economic inactivity is the greatest single challenge facing the city. This will call for innovative community based solutions to create local economic development opportunities through building on neighbourhood regeneration projects. New networks for skills development and learning will be critical to tackling deprivation, maintaining international competitiveness and providing access to opportunity.

The need to develop a total place agenda There is a need to focus on integrated service delivery for communities and ensuring scarce public resources are maximised in local areas. This will involve business, voluntary and public sector bodies being prepared to work together to deliver optimal land use solutions and effective public services.

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The city centre needs to develop sequentially, focusing on physical cohesion, regeneration and the consolidation of key areas. The city needs to develop from the inside out, not the outside in as it remains the most important accessible economic space in the region. This core area must be strongly connected to the city neighbourhoods and needs a focus on physical cohesion and urban design to guide its continued reconstruction.

Sustainable public transport provision has improved considerably since 2004 but still has a long way to go. Enhanced and more effective public transport is critical for labour market mobility, to address high levels of commuting and improve accessibility within a city where 42% of its citizens have no access to a car.

Developing an urban policy framework for the Belfast city region would realise considerable economic, social and environmental benefits. The city has arrested its long term population decline but only just. Population growth is critical to achieving a sustainable city in the future however this is unlikely to occur under the current Regional Development Strategy of polycentric growth across Northern Ireland. Belfast City Council should work in partnership with adjacent councils to consider the interdependencies within the Belfast Metropolitan Area and agree an urban policy framework which better reflects Belfasts physical, social, economic, cultural and environmental reality.

The ability to deliver The Review of Public Administration (RPA)and the transfer of the Planning and Regeneration functions will enhance the councils ability to deliver elements of the Masterplan Strategy. It will continue to be dependent upon strong partnership working and Community Planning presents the opportunity to create new structures and partnerships with the community sector, government and the private sector to advance the implantation of key programmes.

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Economy, Quality of Life & Well being Despite economic progress over the previous Masterplan period, deprivation within Belfast, as measured by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (2004, 2010) remains largely unchanged. This compares starkly to those neighbourhoods within the commuter belt, where population and quality of life indicators have risen measurably.

Quality of life and wellbeing has therefore been identified as a cross cutting theme at the heart of this review. This means taking an holistic approach to city development that extends beyond material wealth to include issues such as health, social inclusion, education, access to employment and services, community safety, neighbourhood quality and the environment.

It is widely acknowledged that these softer indicators are indirectly linked to competitiveness, with quality of life acting as a key component in attracting and retaining highly skilled and mobile labour.

Although urban renaissance remains as a long term and overarching objective for the City, current economic constraints mean that addressing deprivation is likely to require increasingly innovative solutions. These solutions must address issues specific to Belfast, whilst having regard to best practice internationally.

Analysis of comparative data, research focused on key issues such as competitiveness, and new approaches to urban development strategies (outlined at the State of the City debates) have led to a revised set of spatial and strategic objectives for the Belfast Masterplan.

Revised MasterplanThe Belfast City RegionThe past decade has seen increasing recognition of the need for coordination and strategic decision-making based on the wider economic footprints of cities. As with most cities across Europe, Belfasts economic geography extends well beyond its current administrative boundaries. Belfast suffers from additional administrative fragmentation arising from different Government Departments having statutory responsibility for land use planning, economic development, regeneration and housing.

The existing policy set out in the Regional Development Strategy is weak in terms of recognising the importance of the city region. It fails to fully understand the unique dynamics of the city, identify priorities for growth and ensure the coordination inter departmental policy. This weakness results in the citys issues not being fully addressed and development opportunities not being realised.

The development of an urban policy for the Belfast City Region would support the realisation of significant economic, social and environmental benefits. Belfast City Council, in partnership with adjacent Councils and relevant Departments, should consider the potential for new structures that better reflect Belfasts physical, social, economic, cultural or environmental reality.

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The Learning City Belfast has a total of five higher education institutions, located on 10 sites across the city. These institutions are important city assets which have a considerable impact on the city and regional economy. They contribute towards the citys vibrancy by

Increasing educational attainment and the supply of skills and knowledge workers;

Direct employment of teaching, research and support staff; Creating start up knowledge based businesses and providing

knowledge transfer to local companies Increasing GVA through student spending; and Procuring services from locally based businesses.

The future development of the education estate has the potential to substantially increase economic activity across the city.

The Accessible and Connected City Accessibility and connectivity at an international, regional and local level is critical to the economic competitiveness of the City. Our airports and port provide access to the global market place. Cities are also dependent upon their public transport systems to connect the skills supply provided in neighbourhoods with places of employment and service provision. There is substantial scope for Belfast to enhance its connectivity both within the city and internationally.

The Low Carbon CityNorthern Irelands current economic strategy, Priorities for Sustainable Growth and Prosperity, focuses on rebalancing the economy by encouraging business growth. This is to be achieved through the growth of local businesses, attracting FDI and developing economic infrastructure.

The sustainable energy sector and the emerging low carbon economy are highlighted as market opportunities with an important role to play in growing the private sector. There is also considerable scope for Belfast to reduce its carbon footprint and in doing so enable Northern Ireland

to meet challenges relating to climate change and reduce energy costs for the citys businesses.

The Digital City The City is already well positioned as a competitive digital city in European due to existing BT and Virgin Superfast Broadband networks and super fast high bandwidth connections to global markets. This is set to be enhanced by DCMS funding which will expand networks and enhance broadband speeds further. The enhancement of the digital infrastructure will present the City with a significant strategic advantage in terms of connectivity and in turn will create the opportunity to foster the growth of digital content businesses; attract further Foreign Direct Investment; tackle digital exclusion; enhance economic competitiveness; and improve the provision of integrated public services.

The Centre City An accessible, vibrant, attractive and dynamic centre city is a prerequisite for international competitiveness and regional growth. The centre city is the economic, social and cultural heart of the City. It is critical to the well-being of its citizens as it is the generator of the citys wealth and finances the delivery of services across the City area.

The Neighbourhood City Providing a healthy living environment for the citys residents will help to create thriving neighbourhoods and attract more people to live in the City. Attractive, connected neighbourhoods are a feature of all successful cities. They provide high quality environments which support a mix of housing types and tenures catering for all levels of demand and identified housing need.

Issues such as design and environmental quality, health inequality, lack of skills, poor access to employment, and physical barriers/ interfaces should be addressed by future investment.

Connectivity to the city centre is critical to ensure equality of access to opportunity and services.

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Belfast City Council is committed to working with lead partners to achieve these objectives:

Strategic objectives The Learning City

Harnessing the economic power of the Citys HE and FE Institutions. Addressing low levels of educational attainment within deprived communities.

The Accessible and Connected City Enhancing accessibility and connectivity internationally, regionally and locally.

The Low Carbon City Clean technology, renewable energy and efficiency will drive further growth in the economy and reduce costs for businesses and households.

The Digital City City wide ultrafast broadband and integrated smart city infrastructure driving innovation and supporting growth and efficient delivery of public services.

Spatial objectivesThe Belfast City Region

Working together across administrative and geographical boundaries to deliver the citys growth potential.

The Centre CityAn accessible vibrant and dynamic centre city driving the regional economy.

The Neighbourhood City Neighbourhoods which engender confident, caring, cohesive and resilient communities.

Objectives:Having considered the challenges for the city, the revised strategy is based on a number of development objectives, consolidated from the list set out in the 2004 Masterplan. The revised objectives are structured to deliver the long term aspiration of improving quality of life and wellbeing, which lies at the heart of the strategy.

The responsibility for focused delivery will be assigned to the Belfast Delivery Forum, a guiding coalition of the citys key strategic partners. This Forum will harness the power of the citys institutions and private sector interests to develop collaborative working practices and combine physical assets and monetary resources in the interests of the health of the city and city region.

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Policy Priorities The review process has identified policy priorities for each of the Masterplan objectives. These priorities deal with specific issues facing the city and are summarised in the table overleaf.

Of these priorities a number of key recommendations should be highlighted;

Advance and implement a policy for the city region in partnership with adjacent councils and relevant departments

Maintain a focus on the role and functionality of the centre city as the prime economic space in the region

AddresstheshortfallinsupplyofGradeAofficespaceand green space within the city centre.

Continue to concentrate the Masterplan strategy around quality of life & wellbeing indicators.

Retain a focus on enhancing the quality, integration and penetrationofthecityspublicandprivatetransportsystem.

Harness the potential and manage the impact of the citysanchorinstitutionsincludingitsleadingprivatesector industries through new partnering structures.

Improve the environment to support investment and economic opportunities linked to renewable energy /low carbon growth sectors.

The two universities are important assets which have a considerable impact on city economy. It is anticipated that 12,000 students will move to the new UU campus in

the Cathedral Quarter. The Belfast City Forum should work to ensure that this project provides an exemplar of sustainable regeneration that is fully embedded within the civic, community and cultural life of the city.

Thebenefitsfromtherolloutoftheultrafastbroadband infrastructure must be fully maximised to enhance business competitiveness, address digital exclusion within deprived neighbourhoods and drive efficientdeliveryofcoordinatedpublicservices.

TheDigitalhubwillincorporatearangeofflexibleworkspaces of varying sizes to accommodate small start-ups and micro businesses working in the key sectorsoffilm,television,musicanddigitalcontent.The development will take place in the Cathedral Quarter / inner north area of the city and will act as a catalyst for development of digital businesses across the city and complement the planned relocation of the University of Ulster.

The development of a new conference and exhibition centre at the Waterfront Hall that will contribute an additional 40 million annually into the Belfast economy.

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Protect and enhance the role of the City Centre

Centre City

Produce and implement a

framework plan for the City Centre

Support City Centre living

Address deficiencies in green space

Deliver an optimal design solution for the

Cathedral Quarter and Shaftesbury Link

Expansion of Waterfront Hall

Conference Centre

Improve quality of life and well being

Neighbourhood City

Increase the focus for community; social and environmental

stability

Reduce barriers and segragation and

increasing access to shared space

Improve Access to job opportunities

Prioritise projects that maximise regeneration

benefits

Improve skills in relation to the

current and future job market

Harness potential of Belfasts third level education

institutions

Learning City

Enhance and shape design of UU campus

relocation

Enhance skills and innovation in key

sectors

Implement recommendations of the study into the Holyland

and university area

Encourage travel planning and integrated student housing strategies

Encourage the preparation of university Masterplans

Support the development of integrated transport hubs

Accessible and Connected City

Ensure Belfast Rapid Transit delivers

benefits throughout Belfast

Integrate air and sea gateways within the

city strategy

Improve integration and connectivity with the Titanic

Quarter

Develop a sustainable parking

strategy

Integrated transport Network including

public bike hire

Build green economy business within

renewable energy/ waste sectors

Low Carbon City

Develop a green infrastructure strategy

for the city

Develop third level R&D expertise in Eco

Technologies

Drive energy efficiency and

renewable energy initiatives

Continue ecological restoration projects such as Connswater

Greenway

Address areas of open space

deficiency throughout the city

Superconnected Digital / Creative

Hub

Digital City

Smart City Networks / infrastructure

Enhanced business competitiveness/

social inclusion

Development of broadband infrastructure

Development of the creative arts and cultural sectors

Enhanced Access to Public Services

Frame and implement a

policy for the city region

Develop the evidence-base

leading to a credible strategy

Sponsor collaboration through a City Regions Forum

Belfast City Region

Identify priorities across the city

region area

Consider pooling powers and

resources to achieve gains for the region

Ensure that future structures have

sufficient resources and powers

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Centre City - Spatial PrioritiesThe centre city is defined as the central corridor that links the university area, through the city centre to the edges of the Harbour Estate and Titanic Quarter. This is the crucible of the regional economy and is the most important economic space in the Region. The Masterplan strategy for the centre city moves away from the previous strategy of multiple project driven interventions to a wider strategy based around functionality and cohesion.

Given the pace and quantum of development of recent years the emphasis now shifts to making the centre city work and function better as a sustainable mixed use location. It must be capable of supporting continued investment along with a residential community that is fully integrated with the citys neighbourhoods. The citys shatter-zones remain a challenge to accessibility and wider integration. Projects that seek to reduce the physical severance between the Centre City and the surrounding residential areas should concentrate on these shatter zones surrounding the Core of the city.

In the context of the Centre City Corridor the Masterplan prioritises two areas where the City Council, in coalition with government departments and others, can lead the development of urban design frameworks that will address the function, cohesion and integration of these areas.

This work will aim to secure deliverable investment strategies for these areas within the lifetime of the Masterplan. These areas are the Cathedral area to the north which will host the new University of Ulster campus and the Shaftesbury Link area to the south which will address the blight of the current reserved road corridor stretching from Hope Street to Cromac Street.

An illustrative approach for each area shows the value of a bespoke urban design process which should be commissioned at a later stage.

Three zones of economic activity exist within central Belfast

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Linked together they form a dynamic Centre City Zone

Fracture zones, barriers and gateways to the Middle City

Linkages and city neighbourhoods

Priority Gateway Areas

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Cathedral Deliver a Placemaking Solution for the integration of the University of Ulster at Cathedral QuarterThe relocation of the University of Ulster is a critical opportunity to intervene and help coordinate the development of land assets in the vicinity of the Cathedral Quarter. Its a once in a century event that a city gets to plan for a new university campus and it needs to ensure that it maximises the positive social, economic and physical impacts on the city centre.

The university campus project is just one of a number of projects that need alignment in this part of the City. Others include:-

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) proposals for a major upgrade of the motorway interchange at York Street.

The integration of proposals at City Quays and Clarendon Dock The development of the North Belfast Cultural Corridor and its

link to Girdwood The critical link to the city centre through Royal Exchange The re-design of Dunbar Link The provision of new student housing Gamble Street Station

All of the above require to be considered within a holistic place making framework for the Cathedral Area. The Delivery Forum should lead a coalition of statutory agencies to ensure that the collective impacts of these disparate projects are fully understood and properly planned to deliver long standing positive and sustainable transformational change for the city.

The key elements of the proposed intervention are:

A. Transformation of Dunbar Link into a urban avenueB. Transformation of Great Patrick Street and Frederick Street into

urban avenuesC. Provision of landmark buildings at key locationsD. Gamble Street Station and Public SquareE. Formalising an urban entrance into the city centreF. Rebuilding the historic urban fabric with a mix of uses in a

perimeter block formG. Use of space under fly-over to provide multi-purpose space for

culture and sportsH. New pedestrian bridgeI. New public open space at Donegal QuayJ. Provision of new facade at Great Patrick Street and Frederick

StreetK. Yorkgate Interchange

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Carlisle Circus

Clifton House

University of Ulster

York

St

Frederick St

Great Patrick St

Dunbar Link

Cathedral Quarter

Royal Exchange

Writers Square

River Lagan

City Quays

St Annes & the MAC

Custom House Square

A

B

C

D

E

F

F

GH

I

J

J

K

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Shaftesbury Deliver a Placemaking Solution for the Shaftesbury Link. The south side of the city centre has been blighted for decades by the reservation of a road corridor that stretched from the Boyne Bridge at Sandy Row to the Ormeau Road and Cromac Street. Formerly known as the Bankmore Link this controversial road project has never been satisfactorily resolved in terms of its potential severance impacts, something the city has suffered extensively from in other places. This issue needs to be sympathetically addressed if this part of the city centre is to rebuild its linkages.

The area affected stretches as far as Shaftesbury Square to the south and is the pivotal link with the university and Botanic areas of the city. It affects the residential neighbourhoods of Sandy Row, Donegal Pass, Cromac Street and the Markets and involves the regeneration of Great Victoria Street, Dublin Road, Ormeau Road, Hope Street and Ormeau Avenue. A design solution is needed that deals with community impacts, the reconstruction of the city streets and traffic circulation issues that have direct implications for the wider city centre.

The key components of this project are:

The design of a new avenue that prioritises north/south pedestrian movements primarily to and from the city centre and the Europa transport interchange

New mixed use frontage developments that will frame the avenue and fill the gaps in the existing network of streets

A new public park on Ormeau Avenue. The opening of new links with established residential

neighbourhoods The potential for a pedestrian bridge from the Gasworks to

Ormeau Park in order to link the residential neighbourhoods to Ormeau Park.

In planning and urban design terms, this project will provide a cohesive strategy for the rebuilding of this part of the city improving the pedestrian environment, enhancing the setting of the conservation area and a number of listed buildings.

The key elements of the proposed intervention are:

A. Great Victoria Street StationB. Key Landmark BuildingC. Completion of perimeter blockD. Transformation of Shaftesbury Link into an urban avenueE. Potential transformation of excess surface car park into urban

allotmentsF. Enhancement, redevelopment and tree planting of Great Victoria

StreetG. Enhancement of Dublin RoadH. Redevelopment of Shaftesbury SquareI. Potential redevelopment of key corner buildingJ. Provision of a new public square - Ormeau SquareK. New building block at Ormeau Road cornerL. Rebuilding the urban fabric with a mix of uses in a perimeter block

formM. Completion of perimeter blockN. Urban ParkO. Pedestrian bridge

WeaversCourt

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Europa Hotel

Shaftesbury Square

CityHospital

OrmeauBaths

Gas Works

Northern Fringe

WeaversCourt

CentralStation Maysfield

River Lagan

Ormeau Park

A

B

C

D

D

E

FG

H

IJ

KL

M

N

O

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As part of this review, six strategic projects have been selected to advance each of the revised objectives on the basis of an identified citywide impact, the availability of funding and progress made to date in respect of delivery. In addition a number of supporting neighbourhood projects have been identified that have the cumulative potential to deliver transformational change across the city.

It is anticipated that these strategic projects, some of which are also commitments set out within the City Councils Investment Programme 2012 2015, will have transformational and beneficial effects that extend beyond the local areas to the city region. The council will focus on supporting these initiatives and together with lead partners will work to achieve optimal outcomes in each case.

Why these six projects deliver on a city wide agenda?Royal Exchange

Progress with Royal Exchange is essential to the cohesive reconstruction of the city centre. The city must prioritise projects that advance its development sequentially, from the inside out. Royal Exchange sits at the heart of the historic streetscape of the city centre providing a critical link between Royal Avenue and the Cathedral Quarter. The redevelopment of this site will also help establish the city centre as a compelling regional destination whether Royal Exchange manifests itself as a retail project or, given market conditions, is adapted to a more mixed use profile (perhaps better linked to the University of Ulster campus project)

Windsor and Casement Stadia Hubs

The reconstruction of Windsor Park and Casement Park will receive some 120m in government funding to provide state of the art sports facilities for the city. These projects are important for the citys international profile and for the development of sporting infrastructure for the whole community. They also provide the opportunity, if properly planned, to have major positive regenerative impacts on their host neighbourhoods. Best practice elsewhere shows how new stadia projects such as these can be designed to deliver multi use, community focused facilities linked directly with community health and wellbeing programmes. They also act as part of the wider tourism, leisure and event infrastructure and support the development of a range of neighbourhood and business services. The council in essence, wants to maximise the regeneration benefits of this public investment in sporting facilities for the city.

Strategic Projectswith Identified Citywide Impact

A New City Region Policy Position for Belfast

This is the missing tier in spatial planning policy in Northern Ireland. Every other region of the UK recognises the importance of understanding how their leading city regions work. The absence of this tier of urban policy weakens Belfasts position, undermining its ability to grow sustainably and therefore to compete internationally. The City Council needs to lead the development of this policy response in partnership with other councils and government departments as it will be essential in directing key infrastructure commitments and future development targets for the city.

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University of Ulster North City Campus

Possibly the single most important development project for the city in the next decade. The construction of a new university in the area north of St Annes Cathedral will have a profound impact on the city at a multitude of levels. It will help build Belfasts international reputation as a city of learning and enhance its skills profile. The project will enhance the civic, cultural and community life of the city and drive the urban regeneration of the north inner city. This project can only be viewed as a catalytic event capable of levering major benefits to the city and region.

Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT)

Labour mobility and access to opportunity are central to addressing disadvantage and are critical to the success of the city economy. BRT will introduce new cross city public transport routes that will link neighbourhoods in the east and west of the city with each other and with the centre city zone. Importantly it will also link Titanic Quarter to the city centre which will aid cohesion. The city needs a modern transit network that helps to address spatial segregation and which makes the city work better as an investment location.

North Foreshore Clean Technology Hub

The city has the opportunity to develop a new international business park for low carbon businesses at its former landfill site at the North Foreshore. This project has the potential to be an international exemplar in research and development in the green technology sector by establishing a dedicated enterprise park focused on the waste and renewable energy sectors. The UK green economy sector is forecast to grow by 4% per annum and is worth an estimated 122bn per annum to the UK economy at present. Given the success of Belfast Harbour in attracting manufacturing and assembly elements of this sector its important that Belfast develops a capability that can help establish this sector as a future driver of the citys economy.

Digital Infrastructure

Belfast City Council will oversee the roll out of the DCMS supported Super Connected City Programme across Belfast in 2014. This project will enhance the citys reputation as a Digital City through the provision of a Wi-Fi network across the city centre and support businesses in bringing ultrafast broadband into their premises across the city. This has the potential to dramatically enhance their competitiveness and attract further investment in the ICT and Financial Services Sectors into the city.

The development of a Digital Hub in the inner north / cathedral quarter area of the city and will act as a catalyst for wider development in the area helping to provide new employment opportunities and support the growth of start up and existing businesses working in the creative / digital sector.

Community facilities will also be digitally enabled to provide access to high speed broadband within deprived communities and enhance digital skills levels across the citys entire population.

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Issues for Further Review As a review document, the scope precluded detailed analysis of certain issues and there are a number of areas where evidential studies may be required in order to further define objectives and policy priorities;

The five Strategic Regeneration Frameworks produced by the Partnership could usefully be aligned and re evaluated against the new strategy platforms presented in this Masterplan and prioritised accordingly.

A Framework for the city centre should be prepared by the Department of Social Development and the council to cohesively address the potential for continued regeneration. An essential element of the framework would be to harness the opportunity to enhance the environment through quality design. A newly created senior position within the Council, with proven skills in urban design and placemaking would help drive this agenda.

A City Centre Living Strategy should be developed, having regard to the analysis and policy recommendations arising from the City Centre Framework referred to above.

Using the strategic themes of this plan, a city wide assessment should be undertaken in order to prioritise neighbourhood projects in terms of regeneration impacts and delivery capacity.

Cities can help prepare sites, encourage investment and provide infrastructure by using alternative funding models. Belfast City Council should work with other agencies to consider the use of public sector assets to deliver the Masterplan objectives through innovative investment programmes.

In implementing the Air Quality Action Plan, Belfast City Council will consider what additional air quality control measures may be required for the city to meet European air quality standards.

The City Council should continue to develop a city data set and in particular get a firm understanding of issues such as the full extent of vacancy and dereliction citywide, the extent of the public sector estate in the centre city and the full extent of the NAMA portfolio within the city.

A set of key performance indicators needs to be agreed in order to undertake future monitoring and review of the objectives of the plan.

The Belfast Delivery Forum should engage with the Citys two airports and the Port of Belfast on the potential for more interaction with these gateways in respect of driving the economic performance of the city region.

The Masterplan should take into account the RPA and the Boundary changes which will see new areas transfer from Castlereagh and Lisburn Council areas. Specific consideration need to be given to Hanwood and Colin Town Centre for inclusion within the priority list of projects within the Masterplan.

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