Belfast Pushes for Fair Share of Regional Regeneration Funding

Belfast City Council is calling on Westminster to provide £250 million in regeneration funding and greater powers in line with other UK cities. The proposal aims to tackle dereliction, unlock stalled developments, improve infrastructure, and drive city-wide regeneration.

Belfast Calls for Fair Share of Regeneration Funding

Belfast City Council is urging Westminster to provide its fair share of regeneration funding for Belfast, ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget Statement on 26 November. The request is supported by a wide range of partners across the city.

The Belfast Place Based Growth Proposition is seeking £250 million to establish a City-Wide Regeneration Fund. This fund would support catalytic projects that address dereliction, improve infrastructure, enhance public spaces, and unlock long-stalled development sites.

Why Belfast Says It Needs the Investment

Currently, Northern Ireland receives almost half the regional average for regeneration and local growth funding when compared to Scotland, Wales and English regions. Several major UK regeneration funds have also not been made available to Northern Ireland.

This lack of access has created what city leaders describe as a “regeneration deficit”, leading to underinvestment, missed opportunities for economic growth, and slower delivery of social and environmental improvements.

Proposed Regeneration Priorities

The £250 million City-Wide Regeneration Fund would target projects that include:

• Housing-led, mixed-use regeneration, including tackling dereliction
• Major infrastructure improvements, connectivity upgrades and better public realm
• Green and climate-resilient spaces
• Unlocking stalled schemes, such as Cathedral and Northeast Quarter, Waterside, Dunbar and The Sixth

These priorities align with the Belfast City Centre Regeneration & Investment Strategy (BCCRIS) stocktake findings for 2024, which emphasise:

• Increasing city centre living
• Supporting active and sustainable travel
• Developing high-quality open and green spaces
• Multi-agency city management
• New funding and delivery models
• Stronger public, private and third-sector partnerships

Learning from UK Core Cities

Other major UK cities have recently received significant regeneration support through:

• The English Devolution White Paper
• Additional funding via Homes England

This investment has allowed UK core cities to accelerate transformational, place-based projects. Belfast officials argue that similar funding would allow the city to be an economic driver for Northern Ireland and the UK.

Council Leaders Issue Strong Statement

Belfast’s Investment Potential

Councillor Natasha Brennan, Chair of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, said Belfast offers a strong investment case. She highlighted:

• Growing specialisms in FinTech, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and the creative industries
• Plans for city centre living
• The regeneration of the Assembly Rooms
• The arrival of Belfast Stories, a major new public space and visitor experience by 2030

However, she warned that Belfast is “falling well behind” other UK cities in regeneration funding, harming the city’s competitiveness.

A Ready-to-Go Regeneration Strategy

Councillor Ian McLaughlin, Chair of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, emphasised that Belfast has already laid the groundwork for transformative growth.

He said the city has a decade of community engagement, the evidence base, and the strategy required to deliver change. A City-Wide Regeneration Fund would strengthen the impact of the Belfast Region City Deal and generate long-lasting economic and social returns.