Debate contribution: Belfast's Night-time Economy

Debate contribution by Miss Nuala McAllister on 4 February 2025.

MLA

Miss Nuala McAllister

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

4 February 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Belfast's Night-time Economy

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4779663

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Member for securing the Adjournment debate. I will focus on the parts of the city centre that are in North Belfast, and my colleague will speak about the wider night-time economy issues. When I think of North Belfast and the night-time economy, I think immediately, as, I am sure, do many others, of the Cathedral Quarter. When I think of the Cathedral Quarter, I think of the times that I had there. I am not as young as the Member who secured the debate, although I am not that much older. He sometimes likes to think that he is still a student and can party like that, but I mostly do not go out past 9:00 pm these days. The Belfast city centre night-time economy needs not just to include a transient community such as students — Ulster University is absolutely fantastic for North Belfast, bringing such vibrancy to the area — but to cater for all types. The night-time economy is for those who live in the city centre, for students and for families. When we think of the Cathedral Quarter, we think of the vibrancy of the arts and culture scene in the area. My colleague Sian would not be happy if I did not mention the Oh Yeah music centre. My family and I were there last month for an arcade games night. That was a fantastic opportunity, and we opted to stay in town for dinner, because there is something that caters for everyone. In that area, I think of the MAC, of St Anne's Cathedral with the orchestra and the candlelight festivals and of the LGBT scene. The wider community, however, is not seen as part of the Belfast night-time economy because of the connectivity issue. I have had many meetings and engagements with the community in Sailortown, which wants to be more connected to North Belfast and to the city centre but is cut off, particularly by the York Street interchange. Such communities are vital if we are to grow the night-time economy, so we need to bridge the connectivity issue. We cannot forget about that. The Member who secured the debate spoke about public transport. It beggars belief that it took so long for us have night-time buses. I do not understand why that was the case. If people want to go out in Belfast but live further afield than the greater Belfast area or even just the Belfast area, where, at times, it is so difficult to get a taxi, they need to leave at 11.00 pm to get a train: most people do not want to do that. If we are serious about having a thriving night-time economy, we need to be serious about the offer that we have. We need to ensure that our city centre and wider Belfast is safe. I give a shout-out to Reclaim the Agenda for the Reclaim the Night marches that it organises, which really promote women's safety during evenings and nights out. It is important that everyone can and does feel safe. Other campaigns, such as Ask for Angela, run in Belfast around our pubs during the night. The work that the PSNI and Hospitality Ulster have done on that is massive, and they should be supported. As the Member who spoke previously said, we need to think about city centre living. We also need to think about the student population, but we need to do that in conjunction with the communities who live close to the city centre. We need an economy that serves everybody — the entire community — and we need to ensure that it is not just about the weekends but about the entire week. There are solutions. As an Assembly, we need to work with Belfast City Council to ensure that we have a joined-up approach. There is no point in tackling issues in silos, whether that is tackling antisocial behaviour or other issues. The Department for the Economy and Belfast City Council need to work in conjunction with those in the hospitality sector —

— and with all Departments and agencies.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:53 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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