The future narrative for Belfast should not be one of dereliction and crime, but rather a city that embraces complexity, welcomes innovation, and has a hunger for growth.

Chris McCracken is the Managing Director of Linen Quarter BID

What story are we telling ourselves about Belfast? Most people appear to welcome the warmth of our hospitality, and give a grudging nod to new investment, but the dominant view is still negative perceptions about persistent dereliction and a rising tide of anti-social behaviour.

Perhaps this should be no surprise, as these views reflect a city in transition. However, social, and mainstream media tend to accentuate the negative, and risk making it a self-fulfilling doom loop that deters future engagement and growth. For our city to thrive, we need to change the narrative.
Any new narrative needs to be authentic, and that requires action. First, we need long term problem solving for persistent social problems. A few posts ago Seamus Leheny wrote that better housing is the foundation for a better society. I couldn’t agree more. We need to find a solution to the housing shortage that is creating personal and family hardship and driving social unrest. As part of this approach, we need a Scandinavian style ‘housing first’ policy to end homelessness and wrap round social support within the framework of a safe and stable environment. Our current model of short-term support tends to concentrate problems within the city centre and potentially sustains vulnerable people in the worst possible place – on the streets.

Second, we need to rebuild the entire fabric of the city centre’s public realm. Look back at the old photos of Belfast and you will see a clean city with broad boulevards, symmetrical lighting, and handsome human scale architecture. The current state of our streetscape is an embarrassment. It was an issue that was recognized twenty years ago when DSD published their streets ahead strategy. To date only one project, Donegall Place, has been completed. The 2016 announcement of £20m for the Cathedral Quarter was undone by successive collapses of the Assembly and the global pandemic. What is currently proposed – a £5m upgrade of Cathedral Gardens and £2.5m upgrade of Blackstaff Square – is a pale shadow of what should have been. Even minor improvements, such as installing a few posts to pedestrianise Hill Street, often appear to be beyond us.

We need Departments and the City Council to come together in a collective way to resolve this. A proper streetscape budget of £100m, more accountability in decision making that prevents unnecessary blockage, and brave decisions to re-imagine how we experience the city, such as pedestrianising York Street at Ulster University, and Botanic Avenue at Queens, are all required. I am hopeful that the Eastern Transport Plan, due to be published in January, will move us sharply in this direction. An even bolder step – a City Centre Regeneration Agency – would be the most imaginative solution of all.

But let’s also celebrate the new ideas that are coming forward. After a decade with no major league events, Belfast will welcome the Fleadh in 2026 and 2027, potentially bringing up to a million visitors into the city. Culture Night is back. We have grassroots events and festivals throughout the year. Our music offer at Belsonic, Bel Tel and Custom House Square go from strength to strength. In terms of capital investment, the Council has allocated £100m to the Belfast Stories tourist attraction at Royal Avenue and have recently completed the purchase of the historic Assembly Rooms at the Four Corners. Much needed regeneration at these locations will undoubtedly follow. And across the city centre private investment in hotels, central to meeting our ambition to double tourism revenues, continues apace.

The story of technology should be celebrated more widely. Indigenous giants like Kainos and FintrU rub shoulders with global players like Citi, PwC, and Deloitte. All of them have made Belfast their home. Catalyst is a beacon of innovation for start up and scale ups, while the Northern Ireland movie industry, an unforeseen development during the Troubles, is worth a documentary in its own right. Our two universities are magnets for research and talent.

Transport is another area marked by growing success. Passenger numbers at the Grand Central Station are growing strongly, brand new trains for the Dublin service are due to be procured, the North-South Glider will be operational by 2030, and Belfast’s first year-round late night bus service will be welcoming customers by the end of this month. If we can crack active travel – our cycling and walking infrastructure – then the city will be in a better place.

But we also need to return to the narrative that we are telling ourselves. Cities are not just buildings and streets; they are about people. They contain the DNA of the people who went before us and are imbued with the potential of people yet to come. We need to work together across communities and across business and government to tell stories that help shape our collective identity to create a stronger sense of place. We need stories that address challenging histories and promote understanding. We need stories that facilitate opportunities, investment, and new ideas. The future narrative for Belfast should not be one of dereliction and crime, but rather a city that embraces complexity, welcomes innovation, and has a hunger for growth.

Soapbox

This is a guest slot to give a platform for new writers either as a one off, or a prelude to becoming part of the regular Slugger team.