Debate contribution: Hill Street, Belfast: Pedestrianisation

Debate contribution by Mr Phillip Brett on 6 May 2025.

MLA

Mr Phillip Brett

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

6 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Hill Street, Belfast: Pedestrianisation

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4930043

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I will start by paying tribute to the leader of the Opposition for bringing forward this important debate and discussion. As he rightly articulated, it is not just an issue for those of us who have the privilege of representing North Belfast or Belfast; it is recognised across Northern Ireland that the Cathedral Quarter is vital to the night-time economy, events sector and daytime economy. I also pay tribute to the Minister for coming along to the Chamber this evening. It shows important leadership. Like the leader of the Opposition, I pay tribute to Damien Corr and Michael Stewart, who are here today. For many years, since before it was universally popular, they have spearheaded the campaign and helped to ensure that some of the businesses that, a number of years ago, had objections have been able to have those managed and discussed. It is important to put on record why we must progress the pedestrianisation of Hill Street without delay. The first and, from my perspective, most important reason is safety. Those of us who frequent Hill Street and the Cathedral Quarter on a Friday or Saturday evening — or, indeed, a Thursday evening if we have no constituency business on the Friday morning — know that it can be a very difficult place to get home from. People literally spill out on to the street as cars come up and taxis continue to use it to pick up and drop off customers. For people who have disabilities and are trying to use their wheelchair, it means that it is completely inaccessible. On Friday, in advance of the debate, I did a walk-around of Hill Street with the gentlemen whom I mentioned. The speed at which some of the cars travel down that road during the day is, frankly, dangerous. The police were even there on Friday, trying to ensure that that did not take place. Safety needs to be paramount, and, by pedestrianising Hill Street, we can make massive strides forward in protecting safety. Secondly, it is about the expansion of the Cathedral Quarter and its importance to our economy. At the weekend, people will have seen the success of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. In September, Belfast Culture Night will return, and, again, the Cathedral Quarter will be a vital part of the celebrations and of ensuring that the cultural heart of Belfast is recognised. I hope that we will have pedestrianisation in place —.

My apologies. The Cathedral Quarter is vital to the success of Belfast Culture Night. With its return in September, it is vital that we will have progressed the pedestrianisation by then. Its importance to our visitors has already been articulated. In particular, for those who come to visit Belfast, Hill Street is somewhere that they want to be and to spend time. That, of course, has not always been the case, and I pay tribute to the pioneers and investors who spent their money during Belfast's darkest days to ensure that the Cathedral Quarter was open and attractive to all. The investment that has taken place there in recent years has totally transformed that part of the city. It would be remiss of me not to pay particular tribute to Willie Jack, who owns and operates half the bars and entertainment venues on that site. There are also really rich cultural heritage sites: the Ulster-Scots Agency headquarters on Gordon Street; the Oh Yeah Music Centre, which I had the privilege of visiting recently; the Black Box, which has showcased some of our greatest local talent; and Belfast Community Circus School — not the Northern Ireland Assembly — which is a really important venue where young people from across our city are able to come together and enjoy themselves. I will not focus on the cost of the scheme, because I genuinely think that the Minister wants to deliver it and to try to do that as quickly as possible. I will not take this opportunity to try to score party-political points or to attack the Minister. She is relatively new to office, and, in the answers that she has given me, there is a genuine commitment from the Minister to trying to progress the scheme as soon as possible. She has competing demands in ensuring that the scheme is delivered as soon as possible and that people who have concerns about it are, rightly, listened to through the process. However, there is a clear consensus, from the Minister and from political parties in the Chamber, that we try to progress the scheme as quickly and successfully as possible. I look forward to hearing her remarks later today. We send a strong message that all parties are committed to trying to deliver the scheme as quickly as possible.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:28 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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