Belfast Chamber calls for urgent intervention and improved planning process to realise city centre living ambition

Belfast Chamber has called for urgent intervention and improved planning process if the Council’s target of building 31,600 new homes in the city is to be met by 2035.

Less than 400 residential units were built in the city centre in the last eight years and despite recent success stories in Belfast’s city centre regeneration, the Chamber warns that future progress will be derailed by a mismatch between ambition, policy, commerciality, and practicality.

The Chamber plans to engage with a range of stakeholders to rapidly increase city centre living across three areas, social housing parameters, fast tracking development identified in the Council’s Belfast Agenda and increasing public realm.

Belfast Chamber chief executive, Clare Guinness, said: “To realise the economic ambitions of this great city we require a growing city centre residential population encompassing student, build to rent and social housing.

“Whilst we have seen considerable success in student living provision with the delivery of around 7000 student units, delivering an annual spend of around £70 million spend in our city, more student housing is needed with an additional requirement for 8,000 units.

“Collectively, we are failing to adequately deliver city centre living accommodation which in turn has a negative knock-on effect to the regional economy.

“Even if we could build 1,000 units annually, much less than is envisaged in the Belfast Agenda, that could contribute an estimated £12 million retail and leisure spending per year to the city centre economy and generate over 3,000 construction jobs.

“Beyond the economic benefits, these new homes would provide much needed social and affordable housing, support key workers, retain graduating students, and accommodate and attract the skilled workers in growing sectors like fintech, advanced manufacturing, health & life sciences, and green technology.

“We have world class restaurants and hospitality, aligned with a strong tourism offering - the missing element is city centre living. We must find solutions if the dream of a flourishing city centre population is to be realised.

“To this end, Belfast Chamber seeks to spearhead a collaborative effort, convening key city stakeholders including Belfast City Council, Department of Communities, NI Housing Executive and NI Federation of Housing Associations, to address three key priorities in the heart of the city.”

Clare Guinness then outlined the Chamber’s City Centre Living policy recommendations: “There must be a strong focus on reviewing and refining parameters for social housing allocation, management, and value within the city centre. As a collective, we must establish essential funding mechanisms to support the delivery of intermediate for rent housing, aligning with the recently published Local Development Plan (LDP).

“Secondly, we’re calling for an improved planning process both at departmental and regional council level. There must be a fair and flexible evaluation of each application based on its merits, in accordance with LDP guidelines. Additionally, there is an urgent need for Belfast City Council to implement a planning fast track to speed up the planning process for core city centre sites.

“The third area is the realisation of vital public realm projects, crucial for cultivating an attractive urban environment and encouraging a growing city centre population. It is essential that we work together to identify and secure government funding sources.

“The message from Belfast Chamber is clear: overcoming the hurdles to transform Belfast’s fortunes will require cohesive and aligned efforts from all stakeholders. Collaboration, imagination, and decisive action, particularly in policy and planning are essential to pave the way for a brighter future and propel Belfast city centre to newfound levels of prosperity.”