New Belfast development agency could be safety 'game-changer'

Claire Guinness, chief executive of the Belfast Chamber

A new development agency is being proposed in Belfast to try to improve the city's economy and make it safer.

Concerns have been raised about the number of empty shops and the level of crime in the city centre.

The idea of a development corporation is backed by Belfast Chamber and the Linen Quarter Business Improvement District (BID).

The radical plan would bring together Stormont departments, the city council and other stakeholders in a "one-stop shop" to spearhead social and economic improvement.

The hope would be that a better Belfast, benefiting from more investment, would make a safer city.

Clare Guinness, chief executive of Belfast Chamber which represents 600 businesses, said there is a "fractured governance process" that needs to be brought together.

"If there was one entity, it could be a game-changer for Belfast," she said.

The idea is based on the Laganside Corporation in the 1990s that helped to transform the banks of the River Lagan with projects like the Waterfront Hall, the Lagan Weir and the Gasworks business park.

Ms Guinness said: "Laganside Corporation delivered huge transformational change for our city and we think an organisation such as that – given the right powers and resources over a distinct geography – would bring about the sort of place-based regenerative change that this city needs and deserves."

She suggested the Strategic Investment Board could set a new corporation, with the support of Stormont's Executive Office.

Belfast Chamber has already started to lobby departments and city councillors.

Belfast's Grand Central Station opened last year and cost £340m

Chris McCracken, managing director of the Linen Quarter BID, supports the idea of a new regeneration agency and believes it could help make Belfast safer.

"There's evidence that where you do investment, you can 'design out' crime," he said.

He pointed to the new £340m Grand Central Station which opened last year near Great Victoria Street.

"That is a really good example of where an investment has made the city safer," he said.

"That could be replicated in different areas."

There are hopes that a new visitor centre, Belfast Stories, which is due to open in 2030, will boost part of the city near Royal Avenue.

In the nearby Cathedral Quarter, the city council has bought the historic Assembly Rooms building with a view to revitalising the surrounding area.

The council said it was an opportunity to "breathe new life and vibrancy" into the city centre.