Debate contribution: Belfast City Centre Dereliction
Debate contribution by Mr Brian Kingston on .
- MLA
- Mr Brian Kingston
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 18 November 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Opposition Business
- Heading
- Belfast City Centre Dereliction
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4656739
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Belfast has been on a similar journey to that of many other cities that expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, such as Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Newcastle, with old industrial and warehousing land being repurposed for modern-day use. Whilst other cities also experienced Blitz attacks during the Second World War, Belfast suffered more than any other city from the terrorist onslaught of the Provisional IRA, which tried to destroy the economy of the city and held back investment for 30 years. That is the reality. Belfast has been on a similar journey to many other cities that expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, such as Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Newcastle, where old industrial and warehousing land has been repurposed for modern-day use. Whilst other cities also experienced the Blitz attacks during the Second World War, Belfast suffered more than any other city from the terrorist onslaught of the Provisional IRA, which tried to destroy the economy of the city and held back investment for 30 years. That is the reality. Our capital city has had to play catch-up, but there has been notable progress in recent years, particularly in hotels and tourism; student accommodation; modern office development, including at City Quays; the fabulous new Ulster University campus; and retail, residential and leisure developments. The fact that Deloitte carries out an annual Belfast crane survey to count new developments in the city centre is a positive sign. I recall attending the launch of its first crane survey in 2016, when I was Lord Mayor. Looking at the wording of the motion, we can understand the appeal of a vacant land tax to work against land banking and delay. However, we must assess whether applying more stick would actually be a disincentive to investment.
I will not have time. Sorry. In my experience, new developments, whether in the public or private sector, always take longer than expected for a host of reasons. It is necessary to work with developers to resolve issues and urge them to make progress. Our amendment highlights areas of dilapidation along some of the arterial routes into our city centre, including the Newtownards Road, the Shankill Road and Sandy Row. In the Shankill area, the Democratic Unionist Party has supported the BUILD initiative since its inception. It is a community-led partnership that seeks to address issues of vacant and derelict land. Developers often cite their frustration with our planning system. Northern Ireland needs a fit-for-purpose planning system to attract investment and development. The stalled Tribeca development is a negative in the north Belfast section of the city centre, and it should receive dedicated attention. Along with Upper North Street, it stands in stark contrast to the development and regeneration around the new campus. We should be mindful that economic opportunities have changed in recent years, including with changes in shopping habits and the increase in homeworking, but we remain of the view that more can be achieved through engagement with site owners by Executive Ministers, elected representatives, Belfast City Council and relevant statutory, community and private agencies to minimise delay and enable ongoing regeneration of our city centre.
520 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.12 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.85).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.68).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.05 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.06 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.06 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.07 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.85 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.12 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.68 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.01 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.10 |
| Adopts it | 0.21 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.98 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
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.
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