Town planners must remember that one size does not fit all

The Oscars are always hard to call.  A few weeks before the Awards one bookie had Boyhood odds on at 1 / 16.  Short odds indeed for a movie that didn’t win.  Although I found it a coming of age, original and fascinating movie, portraying the differing challenges and changes of a boy over a 12 year period.

There’s no doubt that observing transformation over time can be compelling, particularly a regenerated cityscape like Belfast. Many of us can remember the ring of steel that surrounded the City which locked all and sundry out after 6pm with the daytime security, back in those days, much more formidable than the airports.  I’ll never forget the sense of freedom when they came down and you could actually walk round the City at night.

It was around that time that real change started.  Unaccountable GB based Ministers have rarely come in for recognition in terms of their contribution to civic society in the North but Richard Needham is widely regarded for starting the rebuilding of key Belfast landmarks.  The City was bleak and forlorn across large cross sections and the commitment to redevelop the then landmark Waterfront Hall, following repeated bombs was inspired.  He took risks, calculated ones.  So too, as I was reminded when listening to him recently at an event, did the then DSD Minister Nigel Dodds, back in 2000, when he gave the green light for the Victoria Centre against expert advice.  A decision he claims a direct rule Minister wouldn’t have taken. I wonder does Richard Needham agree.  That vision has continued through others, with the development of new signature and iconic buildings such as Titanic, the Mac and the Lyric to name but a few.   

However we are now, once again, at a critical juncture in our development cycle right across Northern Ireland but most notably in Belfast, the global face and the economic hub of the North. The place on which people base their decision on where to invest, where to live and where to start a business.

No pressure on the new Councils and Councillors then, who are taking on the reigns following the transfer of planning powers in just four weeks.  The argument of local decisions being made by local decision-makers has long since been won, however, this empowerment of local government is another calculated risk, a real test of the maturity of locally elected representatives and of our society, with Councils being a direct microcosm of our local communities. This is not just about having a code of conduct, making balanced decisions more quickly which could upset the electorate or having the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints to answer too.  It’s much more important than that, after all the training it’s about being erudite and getting, in particular, urban regeneration and development right and being committed to the growth of our town centres.  Of course the Councils must work within their parametres with more support needed from central government to see through its commitments to regeneration and investment strategy.With regionally significant applications staying with the Department of Environment and the new strategic planning policy statement having its sequential test for new out of town retailing, it appears there is a growing commitment to fulfil Belfast’s, and town centres, economic potential within the Executive, although, to outsiders the judicial review of BMAP would appear to contradict this.  The DSD Minister Mervyn Storey has also been quick out of the blocks to call for urgent action in rethinking how we regenerate and revitalise our town centres as ‘multifunctional social centres’.

As a City of a similar size to Belfast, I’ve always been impressed with Cardiff’s mix of retail, residential, employment and leisure.  Of course it helps if over 70k people can sift out of one the world’s most atmospheric stadia into the heart of the City.  There’s no doubt a complete Casement and Windsor Park, along with Kingspan will have major long term economic windfalls for Greater Belfast and a new vibrant and thriving Ulster University campus has the potential to support a change in the dynamics of City Centre living.The real transformation we need involves rethinking how space is used, who has access to it and who owns it. Jan Gehl, the influential Danish urban architect who has completely regenerated City locations across the world has demonstrated the impact of creating sustainable, populated, bustling centres through civic and social urban spaces, pedestrian policies and the use of the bicycle network, which of course is a welcome development in Belfast.

The Belfast City Centre regeneration strategy and investment plan advocates all this and more.  Its proposed policies hit the right notes.  Growing residential & employment population, targeted approach to regeneration of retail, maximising tourism, opening connectivity between the City and its adjacent communities.  These are all tried and tested globally but the challenge is the when and the how, with considerable competition for public resources and private investment. Just like the economy, investment comes in cycles and according to Carol Ramsey, Head of Regeneration, DSD, “Commissioned urban regeneration and retail capacity assessment shows that Belfast City Centre’s attractiveness to investors in terms of retail, tourism, hospitality and City living is likely to grow over the next 5 – 7 years.”   Amen to that, in the meantime government must ensure its commitments are carried out to the full with our new planners maximising the opportunities that we currently have.

Planning is not a science it’s an art, which requires both a technical and creative skillset.  One size fits all, just doesn’t work. Flexibility, creativity and above all making those bold, calculated risks that got us thus far must prevail.

by Claire Aiken