Town Centre Regeneration

Northern Ireland Assembly – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:30 pm on 14 February 2012.

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Photo of Paul Givan Paul Givan DUP 2:30, 14 February 2012

4. asked the Minister for Social Development for an update on the delivery of town centre regeneration projects. (AQO 1317/11-15)

Photo of Nelson McCausland Nelson McCausland DUP

My Department continues to pursue a very active programme of town centre regeneration across Northern Ireland. The programme of producing town centre master plans is well advanced, with 18 completed to date and another five due to complete during this year. In each town for which a master plan has been completed, an implementation group is established to ensure that the priority projects are pushed forward.

A substantial programme of public realm improve­ment schemes and revitalisation projects is planned for the period of the comprehensive spending review. My Department is working on 50 schemes in towns across Northern Ireland that we hope to implement between now and March 2015, subject to funding availability and all the necessary approvals. My Department is working to promote regeneration schemes on 12 derelict or underused sites in towns across Northern Ireland. Although the work is not helped by the current condition of the property market, we are looking at what might be done to accelerate the schemes.

In April 2011 the urban development grant scheme became fully available to towns outside Belfast and Londonderry. There has been a high level of interest in the scheme and, to date, over 90 applications or expressions of interest have been received. I anticipate a supplementary question that has some connection with either Lagan Valley or Lisburn.

Photo of Paul Givan Paul Givan DUP

I thank the Minister for his response and commend him and his Department for the work that they are doing to take forward town centre regeneration, which is critical if we are to get our economy moving again. As regards my constituency, the Minister will be aware that Lisburn is taking forward a master plan. Can he provide us with an update on that and tell us whether there are any other plans for Lagan Valley over the next three years?

Photo of Nelson McCausland Nelson McCausland DUP

My faith was rewarded.

I have approved funding in the region of £3 million for a major public realm scheme in Market Square and Bow Street in Lisburn, and public consultation on its design will start in March; that is, next month. I expect work to begin on the ground in early November and be substantially completed by Easter next year. In addition to the work that is being done in Lisburn, elsewhere in the constituency my Department plans to implement a revitalisation project in Dromore, County Down.

We intend to issue a development brief for a site at Smithfield Square in Lisburn in March this year. The brief will seek proposals for a retail-led, mixed-use development with associated parking. Over the next three years, our plan is to work in partnership with Lisburn City Council to progress a major development scheme covering an area referred to as the Laganbank Quarter. It is a long-term project that could result in a major new office and residential development on the banks of the Lagan.

Photo of Joe Byrne Joe Byrne Social Democratic and Labour Party

I welcome what the Minister has said about trying to regenerate many of our provincial towns. In particular, does he hope to visit Strabane soon, where he might help to send out a positive signal on the redevelopment of the town? Will he update us on the current status of the footbridge that we are still awaiting being built in Strabane?

Photo of Nelson McCausland Nelson McCausland DUP

On the first question on Strabane, I am happy to visit any part of Northern Ireland that I am invited to, so I await an invitation to meet the Member, other Members and other representatives in Strabane.

On the specific issue of the bridge to which he refers, I have not seen anything about that for some time. I understand that there were some difficulties with taking that project forward. They were not departmental difficulties but difficulties for other project stakeholders. If the Member wishes to have more detailed information, I am happy to supply it. I think that the council has an important role to play, and there may be some issues there.

Photo of Stewart Dickson Stewart Dickson Alliance

Minister, the work in Carrickfergus has just commenced, but what is your Department doing to support retail trade consequent on the development work that you are doing on pavements and the public realm? It is vital for all our communities that, following on from the public realm work, we create a revitalised town centre.

Photo of Nelson McCausland Nelson McCausland DUP

The whole purpose of the public realm work is to do that very thing. We have clear evidence from schemes that have already been completed that, when you complete the public realm work, you first encourage local traders to invest in their premises, so it becomes more of a collaborative approach among the public sector, the local authority and the traders.

When you get that revitalised and improved town centre with the new public realm work and the design work completed, the general result is an increase in footfall. As I said, the evidence is there. The example is often quoted of the very substantial increase in footfall in Newcastle. The message that it works is coming across from schemes elsewhere in the Province, and we are investing so heavily in it to support our centres.