Public green space amounting to 76 football pitches could be reclaimed in Belfast through transforming the city’s alleyway network, the team behind an ambitious project have said.
Back alleys cross-crossing the city are mostly neglected and used for little more than dragging household bins out for collection, but an ongoing research project is aiming to breathe new life into the narrow lanes and create new communal spaces for residents.
The 9ft in Common project, commissioned by Belfast City Council and backed by the the National Lottery Heritage Fund, has estimated at least 126 miles of alleyways - equivalent to the distance between Belfast and the Wicklow Mountains - could be reclaimed and turned into green spaces and attractive pathways.
In recent years, moves to reclaim some of the alleyway space in Belfast has resulted in some truly spectacular transformations, with the most famous being Wildflower Alley in south Belfast’s Holylands area - an award-winning project begun in 2015 and led by community worker Brid Ruddy, which has created a beautiful walkway for residents whose homes back on to the space, which is brimming with greenery.
Another dramatic alley revamp project bloomed between Rossmore Avenue and Ardmore Avenue in the Ormeau area during the Covid lockdowns.
This week it was announced that a west Belfast alleyway in the Springfield Road area is the latest to be regenerated through a project led by the Royal Society of Ulster Architects in partnership with 9ft in Common.
Now the scope is widening, with the long-term goal of potentially creating a network of revamped alleys amounting to more than 18 times the length of the Comber Greenway.
A film on the ambitious project, titled the 9th in Common Manifesto, is to be screened on Friday at the Ulster Museum, which will outline recommendations to make the vision a reality.
Project co-founder Amberlea Neely said that among the benefits of reclaiming the city’s alleys is the potential to create growing spaces for herbs and vegetables, while also providing a boost for residents’ mental health.
“If we take the growing potential alone, our collaborative project with Laurelbank Farm found that if just 10% of the area occupied by the city’s alleys were converted into edible growing spaces, the productivity could be transformative,” she said.
Based on three test alleyways, it is estimated up to 1.4 million carrots and 350,000 garlic bulbs are among crops that could be harvested in Belfast, yards from peoples’ back doors.
Belfast Lord Mayor Micky Murray said the project was an example of imagining “how Belfast might look like in the future with continued creative thinking and a strong commitment to working together”.
