Political map of Northern Ireland set to change: Lagan Valley and Upper Bann shift borders and new zone called 'South Belfast and Mid Down' planned

There had been talk for years of Belfast going down from four constituencies to three, and today’s report affirms that this will not be happening.

However, South Belfast is set to be extended out to include the villages of Drumo, Drumbeg, Crossnacreevy and Moneyreagh, and the town of Saintfield – several miles to the south-east of the city itself.

This will create a new constituency called Belfast South and Mid Down.

Meanwhile Upper Bann is to shift its southern borders.

Gone is Loughbrickland (which will instead join a slightly-expanded South Down), and arriving into the Upper Bann fold will be a large tranche of countryside in the west of Armagh, centred on the town of Loughgall (which is currently in the Newry and Armagh constituency).

Lagan Valley will lose its most north-easterly tip, which will instead be folded into West Belfast, which will expand southwards.

Meanwhile Lagan Valley will surge westward, engulfing little Aghagallon and the larger villages of Magheralin and Dollingstown, taking it right up to the eastern edge of Lurgan.

In addition, the constituency of Foyle will lose the village of Eglinton to East Londonderry.

Every several years the Boundary Commission is obliged to look at the political map of Northern Ireland and see if it needs to be re-drawn.

This is done largely to ensure that each retains a roughly equal number of voters.

In doing so, they must consult with politicians and the public about possible changes (which it has done three times in relation to the latest drafts) and must consider the character of each area (in other words, whether the people living in each constituency have a natural connection to its various parts).

The commissioners are judge Mr Justice Michael Humphreys, lawyer Sarah Havlin, and construction boss (and former Probation Board chief) Vilma Patterson MBE.

The commission is chaired by the leader of the House of Commons.

It is now up to the government to give effect to the proposed changes within the next four months.

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