Belfast City Council reveals plans to pedestrianise Castle Street as part of regeneration of area
By Michael Kenwood, Local Democracy Reporter
Belfast City Council has revealed plans to pedestrianise a key street in the city centre.
At the council's meeting of its City Growth and Regeneration Committee this week, an official asked elected members to note how the council was pushing Stormont to pedestrianise Castle Street between Castle Place and Queen Street.
The official also described more immediate plans for the area, following the reopening of Primark and the removal of the Bank Buildings Hoarding, which will involve Castle Street remaining closed to traffic between Castle Junction and Fountain Street.
The official said City hall was taking the initiative in pushing Stormont to sign off on pedestrianisation on Castle Street, as well as a host of other measures relating to regeneration and traffic in the area.
The plan follows a strategy described in 'A Bolder Vision', a document created by the council along with the Stormont Department for Communities and Department for Infrastructure. It prioritises walking, cycling and public transport, the creation of "lively, safe and green streets," an end to "car dominance," a north south "civic spine" of safe green movement, and a promotion of affordable city centre accommodation.
The council report states: "The removal of the Bank Buildings hoarding has a close alignment with the Bolder Vision Strategy, which remains subject to final Ministerial sign-off from the DfI in relation to the civic spine and the level of public transport penetration of Royal Avenue and Donegall Place, and subsequently Castle Street and Castle Place.
"The strategy was developed based on a one-way south bound public transport movement on Donegall Place and Royal Ave, a west bound movement only on Castle Place, and Castle Street pedestrianised between Queen Street and Castle Place."
It adds: "Stakeholders within the area have been coming together via a Castle Street multi agency stakeholder group, which was established to address issues within the immediate area, including issues emanating from the closure of Bank Buildings and the bottom of Castle Street, and to discuss the development opportunities within the area to help inform the longer-term approach to the regeneration of the area."
The report also said in the short term, after Primark reopens in November, that DfI confirmed they "do not intend to revert the city's infrastructure back to the pre-fire situation in advance of the Bolder Vision decision on the level of public transport penetration through the civic spine."
This means at a street level Castle Street will remain closed to through traffic from Fountain Street to Castle Junction, and that the temporary Castle Place cycle lane will remain in place. Royal Avenue will remain open for southbound traffic only.
The council states it is not known how long the Castle Street partial closure to traffic will last, but adds that Stormont has requested that Belfast Council apply to the departments for funding to deliver an environmental improvement scheme in Castle Street in the interim.
It is unlikely that a scheme could be delivered in advance of the Christmas period. Council officers are working on proposals to put to the Stormont department, including extending the Castle Street closure to Queen Street, utilising the lower section of Castle Street for "larger animation," and having street buskers further up Castle Street.
The council is also considering designing, pricing and delivering an environmental improvement scheme and engaging DfC to consider Castle Street for a public realm scheme."
Castle Street has gained notoriety since the fire at the Bank Buildings in 2018 developing a reputation for being a hotspot for drug abuse, anti-social behaviour and bad hygiene.
The street became a symbol for "Dirty Belfast," which has seen months of bad headlines concerning littering, graffiti "tagging", and rat infestation due to fly tipping, with business owners and residents alike crying out against a perceived "run down" city centre.
Last month the council approved a two year plan to install three projector units to act as an interactive lighting installation along hoarding on Castle Street, close to King Street.
The planning report stated the lighting would "enhance the character and appearance of the area including the City Centre Conservation Area."
Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Beattie said after this week's committee meeting: "We have been constantly demanding investment in Castle Street, it is one of those streets in Belfast that for decades has seen very little investment.
"It is something we continuously raise - we want to see a whole revitalisation of the Castle Street area. It is one of the busiest pedestrian streets in Belfast, and we have obviously seen the impact of the Primark fire where part of the street was closed off.
"It has had its problems, and issues with antisocial behaviour. But the traders really deserve Castle Street to be invested in.
"We are confident that in the medium to long term Castle Street will be revitalised and will have investment."
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