Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015
Strategic Plan Framework: Urban Environment Policies

Specific design criteria for city and town centres and Arterial Routes are contained in the District Proposals. These are based on the recommendations of the consultant’s report.

The existing Conservation Areas are:

To prevent erosion of character from inappropriate development, new development should respect heritage in terms of massing, scale, elevational appearance, materials and quality. Whilst some sites may be capable of assimilating dramatic architectural contrasts, the general objective is to be sensitive to the built heritage context. Where the Department judges that new development should reinforce the special architectural or historic qualities of the area that provide its legible character, new design should have particular regard to issues such as scale (of windows, doors, floor to ceiling heights etc.), vertical emphasis (bay, frame, fenestration etc.), rhythm and elevational form (solid to void composition).

In residential areas the Department will seek to retain trees and hedges which are important to the character of the area.

In commercial parts of Conservation Areas, the Department will seek to ensure that a high quality of design of shop front is achieved. This should respect the architectural qualities of the host building in terms of scale, form and materials. It is important that the elevation reads as an entity and that new shopfronts do not visually divorce the ground and upper floors by giving an over visual dominance to the glazing on the ground floor. This can be achieved through use of elements such as pilasters, fascias, stallrisers and subdivision of glass. Materials should be based on those traditionally used and respect the age and character of the area.

The Plan Proposals for protection of the built heritage are based on identification of Areas of Townscape or Village Character, identification of those ATCs which merit Conservation Area Designation and formulation of appropriate planning policies to manage change.

All settlements have their own identity and character derived from the physical setting, the appearance of buildings and their relationship to the spaces between them. Over time human activity has shaped the built form and produced the sense of place that exists today. In some places the variety or consistency of the overall character is particularly distinctive or pleasing and merits specific protection from inappropriate change.

The Plan Area has a legacy of fine buildings and areas of character, which provide a particular “sense of place“ and which are worthy of protection from the pressures of unsympathetic development. The urban area is diverse in its historical character, which includes city and town centre commercial areas, Edwardian outer suburbs, Victorian inner suburbs, seaside resorts, railway settlements, rural villages, industrial canal villages, inter-war private housing and post-war social housing.

ATCs or AVCs are designated in all 6 Council areas that make up the Belfast Metropolitan Area. 53 are designated in Belfast, 13 in Lisburn, 4 in Carrickfergus, 7 in Castlereagh, 13 in Newtownabbey and 11 in North Down.

Priority will be given to designating the following 5 ATCs as Conservation Areas as part of a phased approach to designation subject to resources. The 5 are:

This does not preclude future designation of any identified ATCs, or other areas, as Conservation Areas under Article 50 of the Planning (NI) Order 1991.