Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015
Plan Strategy: Promoting Urban Renewal

The Plan Strategy is to limit expansion at the periphery of built-up areas and to promote regeneration and renewal within. The Plan Proposals confirm and renew existing established foci of commercial and community life throughout the Metropolitan Area. Priority is given to supporting and enhancing the role of city and town centres, Arterial Routes into Belfast City Centre, local centres and the ‘urban villages’ throughout the Metropolitan Area. In this way the Strategy seeks to maintain a polycentric pattern of development promoting the renewal of distinctive places which play an important role in local community life.

The Plan Proposals promote a compact urban form through maximising the housing growth within the existing urban footprint and proposing limited new urban extensions into the Green Belt. This will help to support urban renewal by sustaining existing communities and providing support for necessary services and facilities.

Housing growth within the existing urban footprint is provided in a manner which will not lead to an erosion of identified townscape character.

The Plan Proposals for the location of shopping, offices and community services oppose dispersal and promote provision at existing foci within the Metropolitan Area.

The promotion of an urban renaissance throughout the Metropolitan Area will be assisted by the identification of land for economic and commercial development. Opportunities for job creation on lands currently in employment use are retained, and new opportunities are provided across the Metropolitan Area. Major regeneration projects at Springvale, Crumlin Road and in Belfast Harbour (Titanic Quarter) will contribute to urban renewal. These are well located to help in dealing with disadvantage in the North and West Belfast Axis and the East Belfast Crescent as identified in the Regional Development Strategy. Lands at Titanic Quarter present a redevelopment opportunity of major significance for the entire Metropolitan Area.