Belfast: All-Ireland funding sought for new Lagan bridge

The proposed foot and cycle bridge would add to the existing crossings over the River Lagan

Belfast City Council is to seek all-Ireland funding for a new bridge across the River Lagan from Sailortown in north Belfast to the Titanic Quarter.

The bridge has been identified as a priority in a bid for funding available through the Shared Island Initiative.

That initiative has already provided Irish government funding for a range of cross-border projects.

The proposed bridge would be matched by a similar bridge in Cork as part of a partnership between the cities.

A footbridge over the Lagan Weir in Belfast city centre, close to the Queen's Bridge, was opened almost 30 years ago in 1994.

It was rebuilt and widened in 2015 at a cost of £5m.

But plans for a similar pedestrian and cycle bridge from the old gasworks in the city centre to Ormeau Park have seen little progress in over a decade.

In 2022, the councils in Belfast and Cork were awarded development funding of 90,000 euros (£77,000) for initial work on joint projects to help regenerate the docklands in both cities.

Sailortown, on the north side of the River Lagan, is an historic part of Belfast between the river and the M2 motorway.

Sailortown in 1974 as the area was demolished to make way for the Belfast Urban Project

More recently a number of office and apartment blocks have been built in Sailortown, but there has been some regeneration of historic buildings in the area.

According to documents presented to a Belfast City Council committee, a bridge from Sailortown to Titanic Quarter has been ranked as a top priority by a council taskforce developing the city's waterfront.

The council document said the bridge would "improve connections between the Sailortown community and the Queen's Island economic opportunities, re-stitching the original ship-building facilities at Clarendon Dock with maritime facilities on the eastern quays".

The proposed foot and cycle bridge would also enable a "Harbour Loop" route for cyclists and walkers on both sides of the Lagan.

However, the estimated cost of constructing the bridge and a proposed timescale is not yet clear.

If councillors approve the plans, Belfast and Cork will submit detailed proposals to the Shared Island Fund outlining the potential of the new bridges in each city.

That proposal will include "a feasibility assessment outlining the project steps to delivery including funding requirements" according to the Belfast City Council documents.