Having your say about regeneration….

As Belfast city centre gets a facelift I thought this would be an opportune time to remind everyone that you too, can have your say to change.

Be it Armagh, Enniskillen, Coleraine, Downpatrick or Belfast, creating vibrant cities towns and villages across the country is a high priority for Margaret Ritchie Minister for Social Development. Since taking office she has pushed ahead with projects that were ongoing but needed a good push.

To find out what exactly has been going on in Belfast and why our streets appeared to be continuously in a state of repair I took a trip to see one man who is in the know at the Belfast City Centre Regeneration Directorate.

My contact, Ronan Corrigan, who has been involved in Belfast City Centre regeneration for several years also has another passion. He is also heavily involved with is the restoration of the Nomadic.

Lets face it, Belfast needed a bit of tender loving care. The city had gone through a lot during the last 30 years. The troubles left its mark on many of our towns and cities and the problems didn’t just stop there. Below the surface things weren’t quite right. Wiring and pipes were a bit of a mess. No semblance of order. They needed a major piece of work to get things back on track. It was fairly obvious from Ronan’s demeanour that he was very pleased with the outcome of the work carried out on the ultilities and is confident that public services will be much more accessible for repair without a great upheaval to shoppers and visitors in the future.

So when do you have your say?

A design team puts together Masterplans for the city centre, towns and cities around the country. The Cathedral Quarter and Titanic Quarter would be examples of this. Each one of these quarters had proposals laid out in a document explaining what would be done in each of the areas. This included an artist impression of how the area will be expected to look after it was finished, the type of materials being used, furniture being installed and public art being commissioned.  The documents were then made public and gave people like you and me the chance to see what was going to happen, and if we wished to make any comment, we could.

Again, when applying for planning permission, the details are published in the newspapers and plans are laid down for people to view and comment upon.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the project teams. One particular concern raised was over the use of Caithness Stone and Chinese Granite instead of a locally produced product. It was a good point well made but unfortunately the problem for the project was cost. The saving was too great to ignore. Bringing in these materials was going to save a lot of money and it did.

Although we as members of the public still have a few obstacles to negotiate when we visit Belfast city centre, it is, without doubt, getting better everyday. Victoria Square has become a hive of activitiy where once stood a quiet street corner at the bottom of Chichester Street. Corn Market which leads to the aforementioned Victoria Square has been adorned with its jewel in the Spirit of Belfast. The Cathedral Quarter buzzes with partygoers at weekends and now boasts several hotels, the newest being the Radisson Encore. The Titanic Quarter gets another day closer to the completion of its offices shops and accommodation.

And Ronan’s favourite piece of work?

This has yet to happen. Although obviously pleased with the work underground Ronan has shown me plans for the final touches to the city centre. It will be a celebration of Belfast’s maritime heritage and a sight to behold. So folks! Watch this space.

Belfast is still a work in progress. Some scars can still be seen in the streets as each project comes to near completion. The days are now here when we can look at our City Centre with pride, a place that you can’t wait to show to your friends and family when they visit. A project where some you have had your say and maybe even you have given your approval by simply saying nothing.