Debate contribution: Hill Street, Belfast: Pedestrianisation

Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on 6 May 2025.

MLA

Ms Liz Kimmins

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

6 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Hill Street, Belfast: Pedestrianisation

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4930068

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I thank Matthew O'Toole and the other Members who have spoken in the debate. Like everybody here, I want to see the matter progress. I hope that most people were listening during Question Time last week when I gave a commitment, in response to a question from the Member for North Belfast Nuala McAllister, that officials have already started work to progress this. I recognise the value of the scheme. Unlike most Members who are in the Chamber now, I am not from Belfast, but I am a frequent visitor to the Cathedral Quarter, and it is a part of Belfast that I love to come to, like many others not just from Ireland but from across the world. I want to use my role to do what I can to enhance that and achieve everything that has been discussed today. I welcome the opportunity to further confirm that commitment that work will start imminently, because it has not been made clear and has been misconstrued in recent weeks. I come back to the point that I have made in response to prior questions about austerity. It was made clear that the cost of the signage, which was estimated at around £5,000, was not the blockage. My colleague Gerry Kelly pointed that out. The blockage to the scheme's progressing at the speed that my predecessor, John O'Dowd, who was in post last year, and I desired was to do with staffing issues. I outlined in the Chamber last week that pressures had come about as a result of austerity. We have had difficulties with filling staff vacancies, and that is endemic across all Departments; Members from parties that have Ministers will know of that issue. A headline that says, "Austerity is preventing £5,000 signage implementation" is attractive, but it is not the case. I think that we all recognise that progress has been slow. John O'Dowd and I indicated that we wanted to see the scheme being progressed. The staff working in that area were taken away to work on other issues because we had a busy winter, as many of the representatives for Belfast will be aware, due to the works at Grand Central Station and the traffic congestion issues that Belfast city centre has seen. However, I have now asked for staff to be redirected so that we can deliver this important project. I go back the point on consultation and engagement. It has been mentioned that everybody wants to see the scheme, and questions about the delays have been asked. It is true that everybody wants to see the scheme, but we need to ensure that it is done right. While everybody will have heard some of the views and will have asked what the barriers to progression could possibly be, the Department has been having some of those engagements. We mentioned earlier the informal consultation that happened last March, as part of which we received nine responses, which raised some issues. Members have mentioned issues about deliveries and loading times and things like that, but one of the key things for me that came out of the consultation with some of the stakeholders in the area was the number of visitors with disabilities and the problems that could pertain in terms of access to specific venues in the area. Those are really critical issues that we need to address. This is not something that is just being kicked down the road because one or two people have concerns; they are important issues. We need to ensure that we deliver a scheme that is best for the local community, best for local businesses and best for all the visitors who come to the area. It is a key part of my role as Infrastructure Minister to provide the building blocks that support our businesses and attract investment to the region. The project ticks all of those boxes. The case has been well made here today. The Cathedral Quarter is an area of conservation. With its cobbled streets and historic buildings, it is a prime location for pedestrianisation. We see all the Instagram pictures and the real attraction that it creates. It is a charming but traditional setting. It is rich in culture, which plays a significant role in attracting tourists and providing a vibrant social setting for the metropolitan area. Providing a scheme that maximises the potential of the setting and prioritises people is key. Officials have been exploring options that aim to minimise the impact on businesses in the area while contributing to a more pleasant and enjoyable environment, options that will facilitate a vibrant social space that can be safely enjoyed by all. I encourage all of those involved to work with officials so that we can move quickly to complete the legislative process and make the scheme a reality. As I mentioned earlier, we have done an informal consultation. Most people were supportive of the scheme and the concept of pedestrianisation, but it is apparent that we have some issues that we need to iron out. I will try to do that as quickly as possible. We have said that it is probably a relatively low traffic volume, but we need to ensure that there is some access, particularly for existing businesses. Some have more than 650 events a year, so we need to ensure that loading and unloading times and access for people with disabilities and things such as that be accommodated in any agreed scheme. I have asked officials to undertake further engagement with those stakeholders in the next few weeks to determine a workable scheme and layout that will suit those needs.

I thank the Member for raising that. It leads on to my next point. In response to questions last week, I said that it is my intention, on the back of the consultation and engagement piece that we are starting, to implement an experimental scheme to see what works best. Rather than putting something hard and fast in place that is more difficult to change because it has gone through a legislative process, that will give space for tweaks to ensure that we have an agile scheme that can be easily changed. It will not take a lot to do that, but, given the concerns that have been raised, it is important that we are serious about getting a final scheme in place that will work in the long term.

I have the map. I do not know how to explain it. Essentially, the proposal that we are looking at is a new one-way system that will come in from Hill Street — I am trying to think of how to explain it, because I am not from Belfast — where 'Established' coffee shop is, across Gordon Street to the junction with Dunbar Street, where Gordon Street ends. That area would be fully pedestrianised along with Exchange Place and Commercial Court. Does that make sense to everybody from the Belfast area? I know where I am when I walk around the area, but when you put me on the spot with street names, it is a bit more difficult. Hopefully, that is clear. Members will be aware that we are working on the new suite of transport plans, one of which is the eastern transport plan. That will set the framework for making transport policy and investment decisions for Belfast and adjacent council areas for the next 10 years. It will be a people-centred plan. This scheme speaks to how important that will be and how it can really enhance the heart of the city, along with other improvements to our walking and wheeling facilities, and enhance connections to neighbouring communities. Those improvements will help to remove perceived and physical barriers that currently impact on people's journeys. Together, the measures will improve the accessibility and inclusiveness of the city, making it a more welcoming place for all. I pay tribute to the work of officials on this. As part of the British-Irish Council engagement that I hosted recently in Belfast city centre, we did a tour with Ministers of the transport plan and what it will potentially look like. I was blown away, but I was also proud, as Minister for the Department, because it is really exciting. Ministers from other areas were really impressed. We should be very proud of it, and I look forward to seeing it develop further, not just in Belfast but across the North. Members who spoke previously mentioned the importance of Culture Night and other big events. I hope that, following the experimental scheme, we can have an agreed scheme in place that has gone through the legislative processes by the autumn. I hope that that gives confidence and an assurance that we hope to move at pace and find a scheme that works for everybody. We recognise that it is really important and that there is a huge demand for it, but it is crucial that we get it right. I recognise the frustration, but I do not want to be here in six or 12 months' time, when people come back and say, "You did it wrong. It is a mess. It is not working", and have to look at the legislative process again. It is a relatively short period, but I am confident that we can get it right. I want to work with not just the wider public but Members across the Chamber. I thank you all for the debate, and I hope that we can continue on a positive note to see this delivered at the earliest time possible.

1,608 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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