north belfast economy group final report

7/27/2019 North Belfast Economy Group Final Report

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Designing For Sustainable Communities

A Report on the Economy of North Belfast

Msc. Urban and Rural Design

Msc. Spatial Regeneration

Alan Bannon

Jack Glass

Peter Henry

Hui Zhou

EVP 8030 Designing for Sustainable Communities

School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering

Queens University Belfast


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Locational Analysis...................................................................................1

Introduction..............................................................................................4

.

Historical Context....................................................................................8

Policy Context.........................................................................................11-Strategies......................................................................................15

.

Analysis...................................................................................................19

-Demise of Traditional Industrial Base........................................20

-Economic Analysis.......................................................................25

Timescale................................................................................................35

Vision......................................................................................................37

Objectives...............................................................................................39

.

Conclusion.............................................................................................54

Contents


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1

Locational Analysis


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2

Locational AnalysisLocational Analysis

The above picture is taken from google maps and shows the area

that we are studying. As you can see the area is to the North of the

city centre and is located near the docklands.

The above picture shows the area that we studied, with the red

areas showing the vacant sites within North Belfast.


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3

North Belfast is situated in one of the most attractive surroundings in NI with views across Belfast Lough,

the natural resource of the north foreshore and the wooded parkland on the side of Cave Hill. There are

abundant social resources and social capital which business can be based on. Furthermore, its proximity to

the M2, M3, can contribute to strenthening the economy. Indeed, wider strategic connection to roads, low

development cost and natural resources are the advantages to attract investment and boost local economy.

However, North Belfast has the reputation of being the most divided area in Northern Ireland. North Bel-

fast has a number of peace wall to divide two different religious communities . In recent years, there are

some serious incidents of sectarian unrest and violence, particularly in the interface areas.

In social and economic terms, North Belfast suffers from major disadvantages as summarised below:

-The area is divided by peace walls

-It has high levels of unemployment and a high dependence on less well paid

categories of employment.

-Abundantworkforcemarketbutwithlowworkingskillsandeducationalqualication

-high levels of unemployment and less well paid employment-Educational performances are generally below the Northern Ireland averages

-LackofgoodconnectionwithBelfastcitycentreandhassecuredlittlebenetfromthe

-continuing development of the Belfast economy.

-The area has suffered a high level of outward-migration since the Troubles

Locational Analysis


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4

Introduction


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In years past North Belfast has experienced heavily suffered from socio-stagnation, this has resulted in high

levels of deprivation across the City of Belfast and suburbs. It is clear that due to the patchwork nature of these

highly segregated communities within North Belfast has resulted or contributed to the areas socio-economic

decline, which has created a distorted land market, and provided a duplication of everyday amenities.

It is apparent that more recent regeneration projects within the city have tended to bypass the area of North

Belfast, which serves to further fragment and marginalise North Belfast and the people who live there. These

regeneration projects have helped to further accentuate the division of North Belfast with the rest of city.

Within North Belfast, there have been attempts of cross-community initiatives that have tried to utilise public

facilities to act as a form of mediation, trying to increase integration between the predominant Catholic and

Protestant populations. Therefore there has been a number of guiding principles for this project.

Introducing Guiding Principles

The overarching vision of this project is an investigation of the economy of North Belfast, to therefore develop

perspectives to therefore boost the failing economy to try and rectify the problems of socio-economic depriva-

tion.

Connection with Wider City

There will be a particular focus on the current relationship that North Belfast has with the rest of city, and

therefore create strategies and proposals on increasing the connectivity with city to help with socio-economic

revival.

Executive Summary

5

Introduction


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Examination of the workforce and investment trends

Particular focus will be placed on the skills of the current workforce within North Belfast, what skills they have and

more importantly what they dont. Steps will be made to ensure successful participation of the changing economy.

Alongside this will be an investigation of economic activity within North Belfast and what investment is being im-plemented in the area. Emphasis will be put on providing alternative economies to move away from the reliance on

traditional manufacturing which ceases to exist.

Co-operation with the Community Groups and other key stakeholders

It was necessary to collaborate with community groups from the study area in order to acquire a comprehensive un-

derstanding of the challenges prevalent in North Belfast. The information obtained from community group interaction

wasinvaluableandhelpedshapethenalprojectproposalsandstrategicresponses.

Project Development

ThisprojectsigniesthesecondstageofathreeyearprogrammefundedbyPEACEIII,contributingtotheirresearchproject,PlanningforSpatialReconciliation.Therefore,thisprojectprovidesresearchndings,providingaconcept

proposal for North Belfast. It is envisaged that will serve as stepping stone for the continued research until the end of

the programme.

6

Introduction


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7

Introduction

In recent years, North Belfast has experienced and suffered from heavy socio-economic stagnation, resulting in high levels of

deprivation. One reason is lack of good connections both inside and outside.

Firstly, North Belfast is lack of good link with Belfast city centre and wider employment and service hubs. A number of

propertydevelopmentsareunderwayinthePost-ConictBelfastincludingClarendonDocks,CathedralQuarter,Laganside

and Titanic Quarter. However these developments are spatially and socially disconnected from North Belfast. There seems two

different cityscapes, even north belfast is very close to belfast centre which is only a few minutes walking from edges.

Even worse, there is less coherent and connection inside North Belfast due to historical reasons.

Territoriality is the key to the construction of collective identities in Northern Ireland. In North Belfast like other area in

NI, these identities are fragmented along segregated lines of Protestant and Catholic communities. In Belfast, the concept of the

other is inherent in the contestation of Unionist and Nationalist communities. This is translated into the physical environment

through territorial markers or boundaries. Peace Walls constructed in 1969, are designed to keep the two prominent religious

communities, Catholics and Protestants apart, reinforcing division by keeping the insiders in and the outsiders out. These

walls are still present fourteen years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and continue talk of Belfast being the

postconictcity.Tosomeextent,segregatingcommunitiesphysicallyinNorthBelfastleadstoitssocio-economicdeclineand

creates a distorted land market.

Last but not least, North Belfast is located around impressive natural resources, such as Belfast Lough, Cavehill and the River

Lagan. However, the link between these surroundings and North Belfast is physically poor. A number of restricted accesses

block the people who want to visit them. Disconnection plays negative role on local tourism.


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8

Historical Context


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9

The peak of Belfasts industrial economy was driven by the shipbuilding industry.

At that time, Protestant artisan class played vital roles on the skilled workforce in

the shipyards and engineering works. Until the second half of the nineteenth centu-

ry, Belfast became the fastest growing city, compared to other UK cities during the

success of the British revolution period. In 1912, seventy thousand people were

employed in industries of shipbuilding, linen and engineering alone. It accounted

for more than half of all manufacturing employment.

Belfast as the capital city of Northern Ireland has been reshaped dramati-

cally over the past 20 years. A number of regeneration initatives have taken place

in recent years in order to create a new image for the city. This shows the shift in

theTherstinitativetokickstartthisregenerationwastheLagansideCorporation

set up in 1989. They set out to improve the city, starting with the Lagan Weir in

1994. After the river was cleaned up the focus was such as the Laganside develop-ment and Titanic Quarter. Urban regeneration has played a pivotal role on the city

rebrand. Furthermore, it strives to move away from the dark days of the troubles.

However, Belfast also has been known as a clear unbalance in terms of develop-

ment patterns. The city centre has seen a number of large scale development, such

as the Odyssey, Victoria Square and Titanic Quarter. Meanwhile, North Belfast has

been left behind the New Belfast which is going from strength to strength.

Historical Context


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Historical Context

Recently,Belfasthasbeenreshapedsignicantlyfromamarkettownwhichwasfound-

ed in early 17th century to global industrial hub in 20th century. Nowadays, it has been restruc-

tured again from an industrial past to a contemporary post-industrial city. Images of a thriving

metropolitan city have dominated the news headlines instead of the negative images of The

Troubles. The new slogan Our Time, Our Place has been launched to attract not only tourists

to the capital city, but also private investors in order to drive the local economy and create themuch needed boost to the employment sector. Urban regeneration has reshaped the skyline of

the city centre. It was once dominated by the Harland and Wolf cranes as the only reminder of

the historic industrial past of the city, to now being dominated by the Titanic Quarter develop-

ment. Victoria Squares Dome is another key landmark in the city centre, and the new shopping

centre adds to the list of tourist attractions for the city. In 2012 Belfast City Council unveiled

plans of an investment programme worth 233m to be rolled out over three years. It aims to

boost economic growth by providing employment, supporting business growth and community

development. At the same time, urban regeneration in belfast focus on attracting the creative

class. As Florida (2003) claimed, creative people can contribute to the economic growth and

they prefer innovative, diverse and tolerant living environment. This has been seen in Belfasts

Integrated Cultural Strategy, Creativity and innovation are vital to the resurgence of Belfast

and the competitiveness of the Belfast economy. (Belfast City Council 2007)


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Policy Context


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Policy Context

Policy Context

Although the list of policies and plans relating to the Belfast Metropolitan Area (BMA) is

substantial,NorthBelfasthasrarelybeenthefocusofanysignicantregenerationinitiatives

and investment. This is not surprising given the extent of segregation and division throughout

North Belfast. Yet these issues within North Belfast are not acknowledged in the vast majority

of plans and policies relating to the Belfast Metropolitan Area.

Instead, the focus is very much on regenerating the city centre of Belfast in terms of updatingretailandofceprovisionforexample.Theytendtofocusonthesuccessofthecitycentre

and fail to deal with the wider social, economic and environmental issues of the surrounding

areas. This section of the report will identify some of the main themes which exist throughout

policies and plans in relation to North Belfast

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Policy Context

Shaping Our Future is the Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland which sets out the overall vision

for the development of the provision until 2025. One of the guiding principles of the RDS is to achieve a more

cohesive society. Strategic Planning Guideline SRC 3 aims to foster development which contributes to better

community relations, recognises cultural diversity and reduces socio-economic differentials (DRD 2001, p.34).

The RDS demonstrates a commitment to understanding the development of a pluralist society and the need to ad-

dresssegregatedandinterfaceareasspecically.

The Executives top priority is growing a sustainable economy and investing in the future by improving competi-tiveness and building a larger more export-driven private sector. Balanced regional growth is an underlying princi-

ple to rebuilding and rebalancing the economy as are the principles of equality and sustainability.

Spatial planning and related infrastructure development is essential to enable a working economy. The Organisa-

tion for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlights the link between good physical infrastruc-

ture and economic output. This is also recognised in the Independent Review of Economic Policy in Northern

Ireland and is a key theme in the emerging new Economic Strategy.

A functioning infrastructure has the capability to deliver economic and social aspirations, the resilience of our

infrastructure which helps to determine our economic competitiveness, our effectiveness for investors and visitors.

Strategic Projects which will contribute to economic infrastructure development are considered to be those that:

deliverstrategicimprovementsinexternalandinternalcommunications,includingtransportandtelecoms;

contributetotheachievementofrenewableenergytargets;

contributetotheachievementofwastemanagementandclimatechangetargets;or

raiseissuesofregionalormorethanregionalimportance.

Theareaaroundthebordercangainsignicantlyfromajoined-upapproachtospatialplanning.Crossborderco-

operation and collaboration provide opportunities to boost the economic performance and competitiveness across

the island

Regional Development Strategy 2025

Policy Context

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Policy Context

BMAP provides the planning framework which is in gen-

eral conformity withthe RDS in facilitating sustainable

growth and a high quality of development in the Belfast

Metropolitan Area.BMAP 2015 is committed to support

the regeneration of Belfast, Lisburn, Carrickfergus, Cas-

tlereagh, Newtonabbey and North Down. The plan pro-

motes the regeneration of Belfast City through the designa-

tion of sites which present opportunities for development.

For North Belfast BMAP therefore gives guidance on land

useissuessuchashousing,employment,retailing,ofces,

open space, outdoor recreation, community and cultural

facilities. BMAPS guiding principles are to: promoteequalityofopportunityandsocialprogressforthebenet

ofthewholecommunity;ensureeffectiveprotectionof

theenvironment;promoteanintegratedapproachbetween

transportationandlanduse;andtopromoteeffectivepar-

ticipation.

Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015

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Strategies

Inner Norths Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plan 2012-2015

Prioritiesforemployment/skills/trainingneededtoattractinwardinvestment

Moreco-ordinatedapproachestoemployability,trainingandeducation

Parentandfamilysupportthroughinvolvementinchildrenseducation

Greaterparticipationofparentsinschoollife

Getyoungpeoplemoreinvolvedincommunityactivity,leadershiprolesandvolunteers

Removebarrierstoenableresidentstoreturntoeducation(identifyavailablechildcareplacesforparentsengagedineducation/

training)

Ballysillan/UpperArdoynesNeighbourhoodRenewalActionPlan2012-2015

Education and Youth Working Group Action Plan:

The focus of the group in the current Action Plan is to support and develop young people to ensure the education standards and attain-

mentsimprovewithintheareaandarereectedinthelevelofqualications;andaccreditedtrainingprovided.InthePlanthereisalso

recognition of the need to create and support personal development programmes and volunteering opportunities, to encourage youngpeople ensuring that their life chances are enhanced.

A further aspect of this work is to ensure that young people are safe within their respective communities and some of the negative ste-

reotyping that is current, that young people are trouble makers, can be challenged. Priorities include education performance- tackle

low levels of educational attainment, improved opportunities, and raise standards. Youth opportunities include the improvement of life

chances of the young in the area.

North Belfast Partnership

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Stategies

Education, employability and economic working group:

Crumlin/ArdoyneNeighbourhoodRenewalAreafacesparticularchallengesincludingtherateof

economic activity, employment levels and skills development. The focus is to attract investment

into the area, to develop existing assets including the Girdwood Site and in parallel with this

ensure that local people have the skills and necessary support to take advantage of opportunities.This will include promoting opportunities for self-employment and the development of social

enterprises.Priorityispromotingskillsandqualicationswithincreaseinnumberofpeople

gainingaccreditedqualications.

Youth Working Group Action Plan:

The work of the group has emerged from recognition of the linkages between the needs of young

people, the quality of services and facilities and nature of training offered locally. A key element

istheneedtoprogressthedevelopmentofarstclasssharedyouthfacility.

Allied to this is the need to consider the potential to develop a network of sports and youth pro-

viders. Underpinning the work of the group is the need to ensure activities and priorities aredriven by the needs of young people ensuring their individual and collective voice is heard.

Priorities include:

-Creation of a learning culture

-Parents and children committed to academic attainment

-Schools a hub for service delivery

-Learning environment is facilitated by childrens behaviour.

Crumlin/ArdoynesNeighbourhoodRenewalActionPlan

2012-2015

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Strategies

ThisStrategicRegenerationFramework(SRF)denestheneedsandprioritiesforNorthBelfastinordertodriveactivityandinvestmentin

the area. The SRF details numerous regeneration themes ranging from economic development, education, environmental design, housing,

transportandmore.InrelationtoeducationandschoolstheframeworkmakesspecicreferencetoEducation,SkillsandEnterpriseChal-

lenges in relation to North Belfast. There are correlations between education under-achievement and deprivation and therefore, it is recog-

nised that in order for children, young people and adults in North Belfast to have a high quality of life they should have access to appropri-

ate education and training.

The SRF highlights the main issues of education in North Belfast for instance;

Low levels of academic attainment

LevelsofachievementlowcomparedtootherpartsofBelfastandN.I,with12/19wardsfallinto10%mosteducationallydeprivedwardsin

N.I.Withinremaining7/19wardsonlyCavehilloutsideofthetop50%mosteducationallydeprivedwardsinN.I.Leadstoineffectiveness

in job competition for those in North Belfast therefore continuing cycle of deprivation

Fewer people entering Higher Education and Training:

Lower levels of young people entering FE and HE in North Belfast compared to other parts of Belfast and N.I. There are numbers barriers

preventingattendance,barrierssuchasinsufcientgrades,economicdisadvantageandsocialdisadvantage.Youngpeoplesufferfromlow

condenceandself-esteemandthereforeneedtobeempoweredandmotivated.Theysufferfromlowexpectationsfortheirfutureexpectingtheirparentslivesforthemselves.Unemploymentcyclesoflivingoffbenetsandnotattemptingtoworkduetolackofincentives.

Parental Involvement in Education:

Many parents had personal poor experiences of school and therefore do not value education for their children. This has a result of poor

attainment due the parents being unwilling to fully engage or engage at any level. There is a perception from these parents of teachers as

another element of the system.

North Belfast Regeneration Framework

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Increased Pressures on Training Organisations:

Approximately23%ofNorthBelfastpopulationisunder16,whichputspressureonFEandtrainingproviderstoprovide

places that meet demand. Training organisations are competing for funding and have to deal with trainees with complex

needs such as drug misuse, poor social skills and history of offending

Existence of skills gap:

Due to the decline of manufacturing and traditional industries has led to skill emerging in North Belfast due to a rise inIT,nanceandservicessectors.NorthBelfastfacedwithchallengeoftrainingitsworkforcewithappropriateskillsin

order to effectively compete for jobs.

The SRF details the framework needed for the improvement of education and skills in order to support the people of

NorthBelfasttomaximiseemploymentopportunities.Thesearetobeachievedthrough;

Improvingtheskillsbase

Improvingacademicattainment

Improvingadulteducation

Gettingpeopleintoemployment

Removingbarriers

Increasingaccesstoemployment

Involvingemployersinskillsdevelopment

Strategies


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Analysis

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Analysis

Gallahers cigarette factory was located on York Street onthe site of the modern Cityside retail park. Gallahers was

an example of a traditional industry in North Belfast, it

provided employment to people from the adjoining areas

suchastheNewLodgeandTigersBayandfurtheraeld

for over a century. When the factory closed down there

was a large gap left in the employment opportunities for

the people of North Belfast, as many of the jobs in the

factory were low skilled it was very hard to gain employ-

ment after its closure.

Demise of traditional Industrial Base

Gallahers Cigarette Factory



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Analysis


The dock and port related industries where somany people from North Belfast and Belfast

sought employment started to collapse during the

second half of the 20th Century leaving thousands

of people without a source of employment. The

shipbuilding industry had employed generations

of people many from the same families and simi-

lar to Gallahers factory the jobs were relativity

low skilled and many people found it very hard to

gain employment after they were let go.

Docklands


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Analysis


In 1912, The Titanic ship was built in Belfast. In that era, Belfast

was one of the important engines of the industrial revolution. Ac-

cording to historian Jonathan Bardon (1982), Belfast was home

not only to the largest shipyard in the world but was also able to

boast the worlds largest ropeworks, tobacco factory, linen mill,

aerated water factory, dry dock and tea machinery works, all of

these industries started to decline during the 20th Century leav-

ing many families whos ancestors had sought employment in

these industries without work but with a tradition of early school

leaving and not travelling far for work. Shipbuilding industry

Shipbuilding industry

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Analysis


When industry is mentioned in Belfast Shipbuilding and

the linen industry immediately come to mind, Belfast was

world renowned for producing some of the best linen around.

Throughout the 19th and 20th Century generations of womenworked in the Linen mills, The York Street Mill by 1856 had

25,000 spindles and was probably one of the largest mills of it's

type in the world again like the other traditional industries the

workforce was relativity low skilled and many people found it

difculttogainemploymentafterthemillscloseddown

Linen Industry

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Analysis


Overall we can see that the main source of employment in Belfast

from the 19th and 20th centuries were traditional industries thathad sprung up during the industrial revolution. Most of the people

who had worked in these industries had left school at a very young

age therefore starting a trend of school leaving and education under

achievement that has continued to this present day. It is well known

that educational performance and the economy go hand in hand and

there is a big problem with education under achievement in North

Belfast so this doesnt fair well for the economy. The economy is

also associated to livings standards, if the economy is preforming

well than living standards will increase which will help the quality

of life in North Belfast.

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Analysis

Economic Analysis

In 1912, the population of NI was only 1.2 million, but there were 150,000 people involved in manufacturing.

Compared to today, with a population of 1.8 million, that number has dropped to 75,000. It can be seen as a

hugegap.ThecollapseofthetraditionalheavyindustrieswastherstmajorblowtotheeconomyofNorthern

Ireland and therefore North Belfast.

Table comparing popu-

lation in manufacturing

in 1912 and 2013

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AnalysisAnalysis

Economic Analysis

As we all know we are in the middle of an economic crisis with the global

recession, at the moment the UKs credit rating has been cut down to AAA

by the credit ratings agencies. This will undoubtedly effect the economy of

Northern Ireland and therefore North Belfast. North Belfast relies heavily on

funding from government agencies and from the European Union for initia-

tives such as community relations and training and education programs but

withnancebecominglessavailablefromnancialinstitutionsitisinevi-

table that less money will be available for these programs. This will un-

doubtedly effect the economy of the area as people become less employable

because they wont have the adequate skills for jobs, which are becoming

more knowledge-based.

Global Recession

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Analysis

Economic Analysis

As you can see from the table to the right the

employment levels of Northern Ireland are

very similar to the rest of the UK, but there is a

difference in the percentage of people that are

economically inactive which is very important

as these are the people that essentially do noth-

ingfortheeconomy.Althoughtheseguresare

for Northern Ireland as a whole it is felt that if

the Northern Ireland economy was to improve

than North Belfasts economy would follow.

Employment Levels


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Analysis

Economic Analysis

From the table on the right you can see that people

in Northern Ireland work more hours in the week

than their UK colleagues but the average wage is lessthan that of the UK. There is also a big issue with the

percentageofpeoplethathavenoeducationalquali-

cations.18.5%ofpeopleinNorthernIrelandhaveno

educationalqualicationcomparedto10.4%ofpeople

in the rest of the UK. This is far to high for a sustain-

able economy, there is also a lot more people who

havebeenunemployedforayearorlonger,58.9%of

people who are unemployed in Northern Ireland have

beensoforoverayearcomparedto33.9%ofpeoplein the UK again this is far to high, It also shows that

there is an acceptance of being long-term unemployed

in Northern Ireland which must be addressed.

Employment Levels

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Analysis

Economic Analysis

Employment Levels

On the right is a table showing the

employment levels in each sector as you

can see the economy was heavily reli-

ant on the construction sector until the

propertymarketcollapsedin2007/2008,

this has left a large gap in the economy

with only the production sector recover-ing slightly to the levels it was before

the recession.

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Analysis

Economic Analysis

0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000

Belfast West

West Tyrone

Foyle

East Londonderry

Strangford

Mid Ulster

Belfast North

North Down

East Antrim

South Down

Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Newry and Armagh

Belfast East

North Antrim

Lagan Valley

South Antrim

Upper Bann

Belfast South

Economically active: Employee: Full-time: Aged 16-74 years

Economically Active

To the right is a table showing where North

Belfast stands compared to the other con-

stituencies in Northern Ireland in term of

economically active as you can see it ranks

in the lower half, 7th from the bottom. It

is clear that this must be addressed if the

economy is to improve, when a company

is looking to locate or invest in NorthernIreland, North Belfast would be not an obvi-

ous choice as there is large scale economic

inactivity.

Employment Levels

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Investment

Analysis

Economic Analysis

To the right is a table of the investment into

North Belfast companies by Invest NI during

2011/2012asyoucanseeNorthBelfastdidnt

rate highly and received roughly 3 million of

nancialassistancecomparedtoroughly23

million to Belfast South, is it possible that the

Northern Ireland government are giving up on

NorthBelfast?In2011/12,InvestNImade187

offers of investment to companies in BelfastNorth.

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Analysis

Economic Analysis

In2010/11,283participantsfromBelfastNorthcompleted the Invest NI Enterprise Development

Programme

(EDP),morethandoublethe2009/10gureof

131.

Intotal,58.7%ofBelfastNorthEDPparticipants

subsequently started a business. This was higher

than the

NorthernIrelandaverageof54.6%.

Belfast North was the Constituency with the5th highest proportion of EDP participants who

subsequently

started a business (ranked 5 out of 18).

Investment

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Reduncies

To the right is a table showing the redundancies

in Northern Ireland by constituency.

In2011,therewere97conrmedredundanciesin Belfast North.

Thisrepresents5.4%ofallconrmedredun-

dancies in Northern Ireland in 2011.

Belfast North had the 7th highest number of

redundancies in 2011.

The problem with people being let go from

their workplace is that there is a large propor-

tion of people with low education levels and

therefore makes getting different work much

harder, that is why there is a need for more

training and educational facilities in North

Belfast.

33

Analysis

Economic Analysis


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Analysis

Economic Analysis

It is clear that there is a need for a new training facility in

North Belfast, there are very few training facilities in the

locality and one of these is the Ashton Centre in the New

Lodge.

The Ashton Centre provides Employment & Training Ser-

vices and is working towards the sustained economic, social

and physical regeneration of the area through a long term

people-centred development strategy.


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Timescale

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36

The previous section of the report presented the analysis which was car-

ried out regarding North Belfast and the issues surrounding the economy of

Northern Ireland and how that has been translated into North Belfast. Issues

of the workforce and the weakness of the productive sector. This section will

discuss how planning, design and regeneration initiatives can respond to

these problems. The objectives and research proposals have been categorised

into short, medium and long term proposals.

Short term is considered to be achievable within approximately 5

years, medium term proposals approximately 10-15 years and long term pro-

posals may be anything between 15 years and beyond. These time ranges are

estimates only and many objectives and proposals may fall into more than

one time frame.

The proposals are not designed to strictly fall into any exact time

frame, rather they have been designed to intertwine and build upon one an-

other.

Timescale


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Vision

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Vision

To physically reconnect North Belfast with the

city centre and wider employment and service

hubs by addressing the issues of the economy ofNorth Belfast and to the wider city area.


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Objectives

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Short term - To offer more diverse training opportunities in order to improve local

peoples working skills.

Medium term - To develop an educational industry and to develop the social economy.

Long term - To create competitive investment and improve the living environment.

Three Steps to Boost the

North Belfast Economy

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The short term objectives are based around improving the

overall economy of North Belfast in order to encourage invest-

ment. As the analysis revealed there is a poor skilled workforce

throughoutNorthBelfastandmanywithnoqualications.

These issues coupled with the low levels of social inclusion

andlowproductivitythroughouttheareasignicantlyrestricts

investment options.

The long term objectives are based on addressing of the invest-

ment options and the type of communities within North Belfast.

Once the short and medium term objectives have been com-

pleted, it will hopefully result in an educated workforce who are

now skilled to work in the knowledge based economy. This new

found skilled workforce will be more attractive for investors,

which will hopefully result in new forms of investment being

implemented in the area. The potential investment, knowledge

economy, connection with the city will hopefully help to create

morecohesive,condentandprosperouscommunities,which

will hopefully result in an increased population in the area. In

result, this strategy will help to try and improve the social, envi-

ronmental and economic standing of North Belfast.

Objectives

Building on the improvements on the workforce, the

medium term objectives are based around developing a knowl-

edge-based economy along with the social economy. Increasing

the investment possibilities within North Belfast. The proposals

will aim these objectives through the creation of a number of

language schools which adds another element to North Belfast.

The proposal is a step away from the traditional manufacturing

economy that no longer exists to provide an alternative. This

new knowledge based economy and social economy will im-

prove even further the investments options open to North Bel-

fast. Alongside this will be a strong link with the new Univer-

sity campus to add further options for North Belfast. All of this

along with the short term improvements will help to provide

new employment options for the people of North Belfast.

Medium Term

Short Term

Long Term

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Aims:

-Raisetheskillslevelofthewholeworkforce;

-Raiseproductivity;

-Increaselevelsofsocialinclusion;

- Secure North Belfasts future in a global marketplace.

Theshorttermproposalissplitintoanumberofsections;rstistodevelopthe

essentialskillsthatwillberequiredtoperformsufcientlyinthelabourmarket.

The essential skills that every person will require range from a standard level

of literacy, numeracy and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

These are the mandatory skills that are needed to ensure any existence in the

labour market. More developed skills are also required, for example, skills to help

with employability. These range from team work, simple problem solving and

exibility.Thenalskillsetthatwillberequiredinthenewknowledgebasedeconomy that has developed in many cities is that of the work based skills, these

are essential for the progression in the labour market, these skills include self

assessment, independent working and professionalism. All of these skills will be

developed within North Belfast, through the implementation of the proposal.

Short-Term

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Theneedtoeducatetheworkforce,willrequirethedevelopmentofnewtrainingcentres;

there is a vast amount of vacant land throughout the whole of Belfast, that could be reno-

vatedfortheidealpurpose.Forexample;usingexistingindustrialfacilitieswithinNorth

Belfast such as the Docks area, York Road, etc.

There is an overarching goal for trying to combine with local university campus like

University of Ulster. The goal is to a strong relationship between schools, training centres

and the university and to provide facilities for learning. The university will promote learning

of all ages with the creation of scholarships and other incentives to help attract people intofurther education.

The need to building training centres within communities, that helps to provide for

the needs of all ages and all people within these communities. A good example that this

strategy has taken some ideas from is that of Spring Valley Community Center, San Diego

County, USA. It provides a good basis to work from, the ideas will be translated into North

Belfast to help with best practice and implementation.

Short-Term

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The County of San Diego provide a vast variety of services for San

Diegans need to prosper, enjoy and share civic pride. The centre

offer s a wide variety of leisure services and lifelong learning and

skills for all ages. It is conveniently located adjacent to the local

part that features picnicking, play areas and basketball.

The motto of the Spring Valley Community Center is

Where we create community through people, parks and pro-

grams. The center offers a wide variety of leisure services andlifelong learning skills for all ages.

The County of San Diego has enhanced the quality of life by provid-ing opportunities for high level parks and recreation experiences and

preservingregionallysignicantnaturalandculturalresources.

This is something similar this strategy is planning to try and

create within North Belfast.

Spring Valley Community

Centre

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From the map, it shows a wide array of vacant land where appropriate locations will be chosen to be redeveloped.

It is veryimportant that a good location is picked, it is important that the training facility is located on an arterial route so that

both sides of the community feel safe. It should also be located as close as possible to the city centre on the Northside as this

will be location of the new University of Ulster campus which will be located on Frederick Street, it is vital that the training

centre is located near the University of Ulster and that links are strenghtened between the two facilities to improve commu-

nity relations between the students and residents and foe the University of Ulster to help the training facility improve.

Location of New

Training Centres

The areas in the light red show

the vacant sites at present in

North Belfast, the largest is The

Girdwood site on the Crumlin

Road.

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- Develop new educational opportunities for North Belfast, e.g. Language Schools

- Strengthen links with the city and the new University of Ulster campus.

- Develop the existing social economy.

Medium-Term

Aims

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New Educational Opportunities:

As mentioned previously, there is a wide array of vacant land within the

whole Belfast, this opens up a number of options into how to redevelop these

sites, it provides the possibility of new form of educational opportunities.

First, the proposal intends to establish a number of language schools, this

opens up the opportunities for both children and adults to further the education.

This can open them to more possible employment options, these schools will be

open to UK and Non-UK residents to strengthen cohesion within the communi-

ty. For businesses it will add a new dimension to ensure investment from global

companies, this is reinforced by the close proximity of the city airport.

Possibility for the creation a number of schools for the arts (art, drama and mu-

sic);tohelpandprovidemoreoptionsforthepeopleofNorthBelfasttobetter

themselves and allow them to follow the economic path they want, to stop them

being restricted.

Medium-Term

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It is evident from the vision the intention is to try and to physically reconnect North Belfast with the city centre and wider

employment and service hubs by addressing the issues of the economy of North Belfast and to the wider city area. The

proposalaimstotryandndmethodstoovercometheexistingdivideswithinthecity,thecreationofnewformsofem-

ployment and skills will hopefully open the possibility of stronger links between North Belfast and the City Centre, with

residentsofNorthBelfastbeingmorecondentandcomfortabletogointothecitycentre.

The plan is physically plan new developments such as the training centres or language schools, that lead towards

the city centre to hopefully result in an increase in the footfall going for the North to the centre of Belfast. Alongside

these new developments, the strategy hopes to try and create a strong link with the new University of Ulster campus that

in the process of being completed. It will hopefully act as a source of employment, integration and overall help to boost

the whole of North Belfast. Hopefully the University of Ulster campus will work closely with existing schools and the

new training centres and school of arts, to help provide more incentives for people to try and better educate themselves.

Through the creation of scholarships and competitions etc.

The plan therefore hopefully will succeed in increasing the levels of social inclusion and integration.

Medium-Term

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Improvingthesocialeconomy;iskeyforthesuccessoftheNorthBelfastecon-

omy, it is clear that traditional manufacturing industries have but disappeared

from the area and this type of economy is a good alternative. Social economy

refers to businesses between the private sector and public sector. There is a

strong emphasis on social entrepreneurship which deals with generating income

throughthemarketplaceforthebenetofthecommunity

This social economy will to provide more local employment as the manu-

facturing industry once did. Only existing social economic hub within North

Belfast is the Ashton centre, which employs We more than 120 people with a

large majority from local area and our annual turnover, as of August 2011 was

3.5 million.

In April 2012 we are took over the operational management of New Lodge

Youth Club and this was agreed by all community organisations that this is the

best way of serving young people in the local area. ACT invested in a manager

for Youth and Arts who oversees the development.

Medium-Term

The strategy will draw on work similar to that seen in Dublin, within the dock-

land area, I will go into more detail on the next page.

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Started in 1997 to socially, economically and physically regenerate the Dublins docklands. It is now

home to the European Headquarters of Google and Facebook.

In 1987 there were very little jobs in the area, by 2007 there was roughly 40,000 high-tech and un-

skilled jobs.

In1997-schooldropoutratewas65%,reducedin2006whileprogressto3rdleveleducationin-

creasedby10%betweentheseyears.

There was also a big increase in the population of the docklands area with all types of housing being

built.

There DDDA achieved these milestones by investing in the community by sponsoring communityevents,offeringcollegescholarshipsforlocals,offeringrstclasstrainingfacilitiesandsettingupa

partnership with some of the universities in Dublin.

Dublin Docklands De-

velopment Authority

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Aims;

-tocreatecompetitiveinvestmentandlivingenvironment;

- Attract some more knowledge based industries like IT, design indus-

try;

-Createcohesive,condentandprosperouscommunities.

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Medium-Term


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The long term goal for North Belfast is to create competitive investment and living environ-

ment. This long term goal will only be achieved through the successful implementation of the

short and medium goals. As the educating of the workforce will open up different forms of

employment that would come to North Belfast. The creation of the knowledge based economy

helps to attract more knowledge based employment in the form of IT centres, IT companies and

design companies etc.

This will hopefully lead to the North Belfast along with the whole of Belfast being ableto establish itself in the global market place.

Long-Term

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Theoveralllongtermstrategycreatecohesive,condentandprosperouscommunities;workingtowardscreatingsustainablecommu-

nities within North Belfast, which can therefore be translated into the rest of Belfast. Again these goals can only be achieved through

the success of the short and medium term proposals, the reconnecting of North Belfast with the city centre will hopefully create a

common census of harmonious living, with better integration and understanding throughout. The long term will work towards creat-

ingsustainablecommunities,denedas;

places where people want to live and work now and in the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future resi-

dents, are sensitive to their environment and contribute to a high quality of life (ODPM, 2005).

Thisnewcondencederivedfromskillslearnedalongwiththisnewunderstandingwillhopefullyhelptobuildthefounda-

tions of a new type of community, one that is cohesive and prosperous.

This sharing of facilities of the new training centres, language schools and arts school will hopefully increase social inclusion

throughout North Belfast and hopefully result in a reduction of tension between communities to help overall create these new com-

munities.

The end result of this result will end in harmonious living and move toward One Belfast for All.

Long-Term

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Conclusion

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This section of the report has presented the proposals which aim to address the main issues surrounding the econo-

my of North Belfast. The proposals have been split into short, medium and long term proposals and these have been

designed to intertwine and build upon one another.

Theshorttermgoalsarebasedaroundmakingimmediateimprovementstotheeducationandqualications

of North Belfast, which tends to be quite poor and in some cases non-existent. This will help to improve the low

levelsofsocialinclusionandtheproductivitywithinthewholearea.Specicplanstocreateanumberofnewand

modern training centres providing new opportunities for all of the community of North Belfast will help them per-

form better in the labour market. In result will help to lay the foundations of creating the conditions of a new knowl-

edge based economy to open up investment options for North Belfast.Medium term proposals are based around taking the improvements made in the short term to strengthen the

connections between North Belfast and the wider employment and service hubs of the city. The medium term pro-

posal shows the move away from having traditional manufacturing at the core of North Belfast. This move towards

a knowledge based economy while still developing the social economy of the area. Provision for new educational

opportunities through language schools and schools for the arts, will provide new career options available to people

in North Belfast. Developing the social economy is vital for boosting the economy of North Belfast. Continuous

work will be done to strengthen the links between north Belfast and the rest of the city.

The long term success is predicated on the success of all of the other aims and proposals. The successes ofthe short and medium term provide the foundation for helping to attract new forms of investment mainly that of

knowledgebasedindustries.Alongwiththis,thereconnectionandnewfoundselfcondence(throughskillsac-

quired) helps to move away from contested communities and move towards more communal living and understand-

ing.

Conclusion

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Impact of Strategy

The project has been undertaken in the context of improving the economy of North Belfast and how this can be translated to the

wider area and other areas of Northern Ireland. The underlying emphasis of the strategy is to improve the communities within North

Belfast,thismovetowardssustainablecommunities,amorecohesiveandunderstandingcommunity.Theprojectisspecicallycon-

cerned with dealing with the high levels of deprivation and community segregation. The focus is based around the vast array of eco-

nomic inactivity and unequipped and under educated workforce and how this has impacted on the North Belfast economy.

The analysis was carried on the wider level of Northern Ireland then it focused in on just North Belfast. At the Northern Ireland

scale the results showed that North Belfast was one the lowest in terms of investment being brought into the area. Alongside this the

analysis highlighted that with this low investment it has resulted in the third highest number of redundancies, where North Belfast repre-sented10.7%ofallredundanciesofthewholeofNorthernIrelandin2010.withatotalof224claimants.

To address these issues a number of objectives were formulated and proposals were presented which are designed to achieve

these objectives. The main proposals are as follows:

First, was to educate the existing workforce, they at the current time are not suited for the type of economy that is emerging in

Belfast.

Proposal of opening the community to new employment options, e.g. Language school, school for the arts.

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57

Stronger connections with the city centre, physically, developing new training centres in close proximity to the centre, socially providing conditions

for people to access new activities. Close relationship with University of Ulster helps to maximise the integration and social inclusion.

We Plan to make not just North Belfast, but the whole city to become home to competitive investment and living environment. This new

educated workforce lays the foundation for new knowledge based industries to invest in North Belfast and then Belfast.

Creation of sustainable communities, focusing on more integration and understanding. To ultimately try and create One Belfast for all.

north belfast economy group final report

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