Place shaping plan

The Place Shaping Plan sets out a ten-year vision for Upper Donegall Street as a thriving, sustainable and inclusive gateway between Belfast City Centre and North Belfast harnessing the street’s exceptional heritage while driving economic growth, public realm improvements and climate resilience.

Olive Hill OBE, Committee Member for Northern Ireland, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Upper Donegall Street’s significance as an historic gateway from the City Centre to North Belfast is long established. Once a publishing hub for the City’s major newspapers, it also showcases some of the city’s finest built heritage as noted in its Georgian and Gothic Revival architecture. Numerous historical events have shaped it – from the impact of the Troubles or the Belfast Blitz, the place continues to evolve.”

Paula Reynolds, Chair of the North Belfast Heritage Cluster, said: “Upper Donegall Street is not just a road into the city it is a living record of North Belfast’s history, resilience and civic pride. The organisations that line this street have been serving their communities for generations, and this ambitious plan gives us a shared framework to keep doing that in partnership with our key stakeholders.

“What we are launching today is a real commitment to heritage-led regeneration that benefits the people who live here, the organisations that work here, and the city as a whole. The North Belfast Heritage Cluster was built on the belief that thirteen organisations working together can achieve what none of us could alone. This Plan is proof of that.”

The Place Shaping Plan was developed through an extensive community engagement process. Key priorities identified by local stakeholders include strengthening the area’s heritage identity, improving the public realm, encouraging sustainable transport, and supporting a vibrant day and night-time economy.