Lynch welcomes regeneration plan but says locals must not be forgotten

3.52.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 24th Apr 2008

Alliance's North Belfast representative, Gerry Lynch, has given a broad welcome to regeneration proposals for the Northern part of the City Centre but says that local people in Carrick Hill and Browns Square must not be forgotten.

Gerry Lynch said:

"One of the best things about Belfast in recent years has been its transformation into a dynamic European city. The Cathedral Quarter redevelopment has been one of the engines of that dynamism. I welcome the fact that the Department for Social Development is actively seeking to extend that prosperity and dynamism further into North and West Belfast.

"There are many exciting opportunities in this area - the area has many atmospheric narrow streets and old buildings which could prove very attractive given sensitive development. The emergent 'gay village' around Union Street can act as a magnet attracting tourists and creative professionals to Belfast.

"In any redevelopment, the communities of Carrick Hill and Browns Square must not be forgotten. These are some of Belfast's longest standing communities, with most residents having had family in the area for many generations, right back to the beginnings of Belfast as a major industrial city. While it is right to attract new, high income, residents, this cannot come at the expense of long-term residents. The physical regeneration of Carrick Hill must now be backed by government support for social regeneration.

"We must not lose sight of the fact that thousands of North Belfast families are waiting for a decent home. Regenerating this area offers the opportunity to meet some of this need in new residential developments which break down barriers by being mixed-income and mixed-religion from the start."

ENDS