Debate contribution: Belfast City Centre Dereliction

Debate contribution by Miss Deirdre Hargey on 18 November 2024.

MLA

Miss Deirdre Hargey

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

18 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Belfast City Centre Dereliction

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4656721

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the debate. It is important because of the vital role that Belfast plays, the population that resides here and those who work, visit and do business. There is no doubt that a prolonged period of dereliction has impacted on the city centre and, indeed, sites across the city, including in our neighbourhoods. Landbanking of key sites, the Primark fire, COVID, the cost of living, the change in retail trends, out-of-town shopping and the policy of austerity have all impacted on the situation. The absence of adequate housing in the city's core and the failed regeneration policies of the 70s, 80s and 90s, which segregated the city centre working-class communities from the city's core, have also played a part, and the impacts of those policies are still being felt today. Developer-led regeneration and traditional economic development practices are failing to address the challenges of our time. That has been demonstrated in the Tribeca area, and I warn against simply transferring the land from one developer to another. Trying to secure sites via paid lobbyists could potentially lead to a conflict of interest. What we need is a new people-centred approach to economic development that redirects wealth back into our local economy and places control and benefits into the hands of local people, communities and businesses. We need to build an inclusive and shared city for all, regardless of ethnic and socio-economic status, and where economic power works for local places and people. We need to learn from the mistakes of Laganside and others in not engaging communities, and proactively excluding them is not the way to do it.

I live in one of the communities that was affected when Laganside drew its strict boundaries that excluded all the inner-city communities. We know that that was policy: it was by design. Communities feel the negative impact of that approach, and I implore anyone who promotes that approach to speak to all those communities.

Greater citizen and community involvement and meaningful participation are viewed as improving the quality and legitimacy of decision-making, thus building democratic accountability. We need a community wealth-building vision with underpinning principles and outcomes and time-bound actions that will direct all future development and ensure that sites are developed in a way that meets the needs of our people, communities and economy. That includes all communities, not just the few that are mentioned in the amendment. That is why we have a concern about the amendment: all working-class communities should be included. We want Belfast city centre and, indeed, the city to be a place that thrives, where people can live and access services that are open and accessible to all no matter your socio-economic status, and that reflects the rich heritage —

— of our city, such as the Assembly Rooms.

464 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification