Letter: An experience-led professional development plan could see Sandy Row thrive again
A letter from Robin Newton:
I write as a former retailer in the once thriving shopping area, Sandy Row.
The area has been prominent in the media. Sandy Row has a long retail/business history that included famous names, an historic brewery, and on adjacent streets, large textiles and clothing factories.
Regrettably, the well-known furniture and shoe shop businesses have moved on, factories have closed, local community has been decimated, and shopping patterns have changed.
Traffic problems, due to the construction of Grand Central Station and demolition of Boyne Bridge, have negatively impacted on and highlighted the plight of Sandy Row traders.
Although welcome, the current support in the form of £200k will not remedy matters.
Across Belfast there are examples of areas being reinvented, including Lisburn Road, Ballyhackamore, Belmont Road and the evolving Holywood Arches.
Sandy Row can thrive again through redesign, shaping, emphatic planning and transformative investment.
This can only happen with commitment from government bodies and Belfast City Council to an experience led, professional and all-embracing development plan.
Sandy Row’s residents, retailers and general business community deserve nothing less.
Robin Newton MBE, East Belfast