Issue 70 - Belfast BT4 • BT5 • BT16
Ambitious targets for Belfast!
These include 150,000 new trees, 6,000 new homes and 7,000 new business start-ups by 2028
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Ryan Murphy, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Mary Armstrong, Chair of Holywood Arches Business Association were among those lauding the success of the Holywood Arches area recently.
Holywood Arches reveals a vibrant place to shop, explore, and relax
Holywood Arches Business Association has revealed a destination brand to help promote Belfast’s Holywood Arches as a vibrant hub to shop, explore and relax as part of Belfast City Council’s “Supporting Vibrant Business Destinations” initiative, funded through the Department for Communities Revitalisation programme. With assets including CS Lewis Square, Connswater Community Greenway, Glider / Belfast Rapid Transit and Belfast Bikes, Holywood Arches continues to be a
gateway to east Belfast, providing an attractive hub for the community and visitors. The wide variety of businesses, combined with the Holywood Arches
Business Association’s partnership approach, which includes working with regeneration charity EastSide Partnership, adds to the uniqueness of this place. To celebrate
Holywood Arches, a series of events and activities recently took place.
Continued on page 4
Plans to support the most vulnerable in Belfast while growing the economy, regenerating neighbourhoods and achieving climate targets have been published in a refreshed strategic plan for the city. The Belfast Agenda was first published in 2017, setting out a joint vision for the city up to 2035. With significant economic, social and environmental changes in recent years, it has been reviewed and updated to reflect current priorities. City partners have agreed to deliver a significant programme of actions by 2028 which will include building 6,000 new homes, planting 150,000 trees, reducing chronic homelessness, increasing the number of business start-ups by 20 percent and reducing the
economic inactivity rate by five percent each year. Statutory and community partners involved in co-designing the Belfast Agenda include Belfast City Council, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, Education Authority, Invest NI, Libraries NI, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Police Service of Northern Ireland, Public Health Agency, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, Sport NI, Tourism NI, Belfast Area Partnership Boards and the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sectoral Advisory Panel. For more information visit www.belfastcity. gov.uk/belfastagenda