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Date: 8 September 2026
Category: City regeneration and development
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly, led a cross-party delegation to Westminster today, Tuesday 8 September, to make the case for a transformative Belfast Place-Based Growth Fund, ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget Statement on 26 November.
If secured, the Fund would address long-standing barriers to development, enabling Belfast to fulfil its role as Northern Ireland's primary economic driver and a key contributor to UK growth.
The visit, co-ordinated by Belfast City Council and led by the Lord Mayor and Chief Executive, John Walsh, also included input from all four Belfast MPs – Gavin Robinson, John Finucane, Claire Hanna and Paul Maskey.
Through a combination of housing-led and mixed-use regeneration, strategic infrastructure investment and targeted support for catalytic innovation and development projects, the delegation highlighted how the Fund would unlock underutilised land, attract private investment and create the conditions for sustained, inclusive economic growth.
They stressed how it would build on existing Belfast Region City Deal investments and the city's innovation and service strengths, maximising their economic impact and long-term value.
Councillor Donnelly said: “Belfast has so much potential to unlock, but we continue to experience substantial infrastructure and regeneration deficits.
“Tá an oiread sin acmhainneachta ag Béal Feirste, ach tá muid go fóill ag fulaingt de dheasca easnaimh shuntasacha ó thaobh bonneagair agus athghiniúna de.
“Historic under-investment, land assembly challenges, infrastructure constraints and development viability gaps have stalled delivery and are limiting our ability to compete in the global marketplace and drive growth in our city and wider region.
“Tá moill curtha ar sheachadadh mar gheall ar an easpa infheistíochta le fada an lá, ar na dúshláin a bhaineann le talamh a chóimeáil, ar shrianta bonneagair agus ar bhearnaí ó thaobh inmharthanacht na forbartha de, agus tá na nithe sin ag cur srian lenár gcumas dul san iomaíocht sa mhargadh domhanda agus fás a spreagadh inár gcathair agus sa réigiún i gcoitinne.
“Our city has such a compelling investment proposition, just look at our talent, our strengths that we’re boosting through the Belfast Region City Deal in areas like FinTech and life and health sciences, advanced manufacturing and the creative industries, and our plans for housing-led and mixed-use regeneration, including increasing city centre living.
“Investing in Belfast through a transformative Belfast Place-Based Growth Fund makes sound business sense – we’re uniquely positioned and ready to deliver.”
The Belfast Place-Based Growth Fund focuses on opportunities which will benefit both the city and the whole of Northern Ireland.
The Council, with the support of all political parties, is seeking targeted investment – comparative to funding available in other UK cities – which will better equip Belfast to drive growth for Northern Ireland and the UK.
The Fund has been informed by significant engagement with a range of cross-sector stakeholders, in line with the recent Belfast City Centre Regeneration & Investment Strategy Stocktake findings, as well as objectives within The Belfast Agenda – the city’s community plan.