2. Background to Belfast Stories
Initial development
Engagement around the concept of Belfast Stories has been ongoing since 2014 when the need for a second major visitor attraction in the city was identified in the development of Belfast City Council’s tourism strategy. Subsequently, it has been included in public consultations on the council’s Belfast Agenda, Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment, A City Imagining and Make Yourself at Home strategiesFootnote two.
In 2017 a conceptual framework was developed, including plans for co-locating a film centre, a landmark tourism attraction, digital skills programming, a cultural centre and leisure and public realm facilities.
In 2021, in preparation for the Belfast Region City Deal bid, over 50 stakeholder organisations were engaged around the concept at over 160 meetings and presentations (appendix 3).
In December 2021 the Belfast Region City Deal was signed, providing £1 billion to Belfast City Council and its 11 partners, including investment in Belfast Stories.
Public consultation at RIBA 1
Between August and November 2022, Belfast City Council carried out the first public consultation on Belfast Stories. The purpose of the public consultation was to gather ideas and evidence to help shape the design brief with a specific focus on
“making sure that Belfast Stories is for everyone. This means making sure that the building is welcoming and accessible and everyone can see themselves reflected in its stories.”
To do this, feedback was sought in relation to:
- the outline Belfast Stories concept
- story collection principles and themes
- the draft engagement plan
- the draft EQIA
Current Belfast Stories concept
Designing Belfast Stories is an intricate and multi-layered process combining the design of both the structure (the architectural concept) and the exhibition experience (the curatorial concept). The concepts are intricately linked and as stated in the RIBA2 public consultation documents, “wedded also to ongoing feedback we receive from the public” during the public consultation.
Findings from the RIBA 2 consultation will then be reviewed and used to inform more detailed plans, which will be further consulted on as part of the process for securing planning permission.
Initial architectural concept
The former Bank of Ireland art deco building at 92 Royal Avenue will be a focal point of the new building, which will cover over 5,000m2.
During the first public consultation, respondents were particularly interested in Belfast Stories’ proposed social spaces, reflecting a deficit of free, safe, welcoming and attractive space in the city centre, particularly for younger and older people.
Current design concepts, which were included in RIBA stage 2 public consultation documents, aim to present a building that is “welcoming and accessible” with four entrances that can be approached from different sides of the building. In the middle, there is a public space. Visitors can then follow a gentle sloping path to a rooftop where people can walk, relax, play and interact. These spaces will be free to enter.
Initial curatorial concept
The Exhibition
There will an exhibition of stories about Belfast that visitors will have to pay to experience.
There will also be an ongoing programme of story-themed events and activities in public parts of the building.
The stories will be told in many different ways, such as in print, audio, video, music and more.
At the time of the first public consultation, it was proposed that stories would be collected and exhibited around seven broad themes (such as Home, Resilient, Innovative and Place). However, consultees did not want their stories constrained by themes and were concerned about binary or partisan narratives or that their stories could be misinterpreted. Taking onboard this feedback, it is now proposed that stories will be arranged by “two simple, universal frames lets people draw their own conclusions about the city”:
- time – for example, stories about people getting up, going to work or going out
- space – for example, stories about Royal Avenue, the Belfast Hills, peace walls, pubs or kitchen tables
According to the interpretative masterplan, a document that details the thinking behind the concept, this
“avoids pre-defining Belfast in terms of values or themes [and] Instead it creates neutral space for debate, dialogue, and difference [so that] Difference and diversity are never pre-packaged or essentialised. They just exist, like people on a busy street.”
Visitors can then choose how they make their way around the exhibition.
Story gathering
There will be an ongoing programme of story-gathering activities. This will take place both inside Belfast Stories and off-site, helping to ensure that both stories and process are relevant and accessible to a wide range of people.
Stories will be collected in many different ways, such as in writing, film, verse, recording, song and more, allowing storytellers a choice of medium to suit their tastes, comfort and access requirements.
Approach to RIBA 2 public consultation
Consultation Programme
The planned 13-week public consultation was extended to just under 16 weeks to accommodate high levels of interest in the consultation. The consultation aimed to:
- continue to promote the project, raise awareness and gain buy-in
- make sure that Belfast Stories is for everyone including equality impact assessment and rural needs impact assessment
- gain feedback on current design thinking to inform the next phase of project.
Experts-by-experience equality consultative forum
Building on an equity steering group that was established during the first public consultation, an equality consultative forum was set up in September 2024 and met four times during the public consultation.
It comprised 16 experts by experience who understand how it feels to experience additional barriers to consultation and to developments like Belfast Stories. It included people of different religion and political opinion; of different genders; older and younger people; people from minoritized ethnic community backgrounds; people from the LGBTQ+ community; D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people; and people with caring responsibilities.
As well as engaging in depth with the consultation questions and the Belfast Stories design teams, the group helped facilitate consultation with groups and networks they are involved in.
Reporting
Findings from all consultation activities were recorded and shared with the architectural and curatorial design teams at fortnightly meetings.
About the equality impact assessment
Belfast City Council recognises Belfast Stories as a major development which will impact on staff, residents and other ratepayers. As a result, it could also impact on people and groups associated with the nine Section 75 equality categories.
An initial equality screening was carried out in December 2021. It recommended that an equality impact assessment (EQIA) be carried out on Belfast Stories, potentially at different stages in the project, such as concept and design stages.
Between 19 November 2024 and 9 March 2025, a 16-week public consultation was carried out on the initial architectural and curatorial design concepts and the accompanying draft.
Belfast City Council plans to continue engagement with different people and organisations throughout its development. This includes a further planned public consultation as part of the process for obtaining planning permission.
Footnotes
Footnote two: Variously referred to as a destination or creative hub.
