Belfast City Council is making an appeal to Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure to “reconsider” its decision to put off pedestrianisation in a key nightlife street in the city centre.
At the full monthly meeting of Belfast City Council this week, elected members agreed to press DfI Minister John O’Dowd on a decision revealed last week that the department would be “putting on hold” plans to ban vehicles from the popular night time street, which is the home to a host of Belfast’s most popular bars, venues and restaurants.
Long held plans to pedestrianise the street have gone under the bus due to “several competing work priorities,” the Sinn Féin minister said, who also blamed “underfunding and austerity by the British government.” Hill Street was briefly pedestrianised on a trial period in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.
Minister O’Dowd said: “Officials will keep the position under review and recommence work as soon as resources are available.”
Business owners and groups continue to call for the street to be pedestrianised, and last week expressed regret at what they see as a missed opportunity.
Alliance Councillor Eric Hanvey proposed the official correspondence at the meeting of the full Belfast City Council this week at City Hall.
He told the chamber: “I want to say how disappointed I am at the Infrastructure Minister’s decision on Hill Street pedestrianisation. If the nighttime economy needs anything, it is cooperation from right across central government, local government and the retail sector.
“I just can’t understand this decision. The argument that was made was on financial grounds – essentially we are talking about three bollards and probably the same number of signs. That doesn’t make sense.
“I can’t understand for the life of me why these streets were not pedestrianised. You walk around there at night and it is deadly. I’m sure there have been accidents there but it is amazing there aren’t more.”
He added: “One of the arguments that is frequently used is about the taxis. I can’t understand why a taxi would ever want to go down that street – I would much rather be picking up at Donegall Street or Waring Street, and not have to go in there to be held up for 10 minutes, going down a street that is crowded with people coming out of bars. It makes no sense whatsoever.
“We should write to the Minister and ask him to reconsider this. I think it is a retrograde step for Belfast – another one by the DfI. And I am not just going after this Minister, this has been going on for years and years, and it seems we can make no progress with this department whatsoever.
“We should write and ask them to please reconsider, please find the budget for a few bollards, and can we please pedestrianise an area which is crying out for it at the heart of our night time economy.”
