On Thursday developers, architects and planning industry stakeholders attended an event at City Hall to share feedback on the Belfast Local Development Plan draft Plan Strategy and Developer Contributions Framework.
The Local Development Plan seeks to guide investment in Belfast and sets out how the city should develop in the future, while the draft Plan Strategy sets out the overall aspirations for the future growth and policies to be used in assessing development proposals.
Priorities within the plan strategy include focusing on inner Belfast and providing new homes in the city centre, maximising the potential for development in accessible locations and support for more sustainable proposals that recognise the realities of climate change.
Also at the event, stakeholders heard why the council is consulting on the draft Developer Contributions Framework, which is guidance used when assessing relevant planning applications across Belfast and to manage the impacts of new development on the city, its infrastructure and environment.
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Lord Mayor Councillor Deirdre Hargey said: "Once in place, the Local Development Plan will guide all planning decisions so that's why it's vital that people engage in the formal consultation process.
"We formally opened our consultation today, with an event engaging developers and planning industry stakeholders alongside an open session for our residents, businesses and statutory partners.
"The plan will have implications for everyone living in Belfast and not just developers. Therefore, before we finalise this part of our plan, we want to gather the views of all those involved in and impacted by planning decisions."
Cllr Matt Garrett, chair of Belfast City Council's Planning Committee, said: "This is a significant milestone in the delivery of the Local Development Plan and gives a sense of the kind of city we're seeking to create – global and forward thinking, but with a focus on ensuring everyone feels the benefits of our ambitions.
"Inclusive growth has been key to our work since we gained new powers under Local Government Reform in 2015, and this draft plan strategy outlines some of the ways we plan to achieve this, from identifying the need for nearly 32,000 new homes to ensuring we can accommodate the investment required to fulfil our goal of bringing 46,000 extra jobs to Belfast."
The draft plan strategy is now available to view online and in person until 15 November, with residents, developers and statutory partners able to share their feedback.
(LM/MH)
