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Belfast Agenda
Foreword from Belfast’s Community Planning and city partners
Our vision for Belfast in 2035
Focusing on outcomes
Our ambitions
Our community planning journey
Collaborative delivery
Belfast's Local Development Plan
Theme one: Our people and communities
Theme two: Our economy
Theme three: Our place
Theme four: Our planet
Theme five: Compassionate city
Our outcomes
Next steps
Belfast will be a city re-imagined and resurgent. A great place to live and work for everyone.
First published in 2017 and refreshed in 2024, our community plan, The Belfast Agenda, sets out our shared vision for the city we hope to see in 2035.
This fourth Statement of Progress covers November 2023 to November 2025 and reports on our collective progress towards realising the long-term ambitions, outcomes and actions we have agreed in partnership with our residents and statutory and non-statutory partners in Belfast.
It’s a hugely ambitious body of work which requires the active and coordinated participation of many diverse organisations and individuals across many sectors to deliver, the efforts of which are demonstrated here.
Supported by the Belfast Community Planning Partnership (CPP) comprising public, community and voluntary and business sector partners, we’ve navigated through challenging circumstances to deliver real improvements for all our citizens, particularly those who are most vulnerable. This has required new thinking in terms of collaborative planning, financing, data collection, performance management and delivery at a city and neighbourhood level, all of which we continue to develop to deliver better outcomes for people who live, work or invest here.
This Statement of Progress highlights significant partnership successes, such as tackling homelessness, vulnerability and poverty, delivering over 850 new social homes, establishing a Bolder Vision for city revitalisation, and the Belfast Business Promise engaging 68 organisations committed to adopting ethical practices such as the living wage. These efforts are underpinned by our commitment to a compassionate city: welcoming, caring, fair, and inclusive, where no one is left behind.
We are proud of our collective achievements, such as securing £230 million for innovation centres of excellence through Belfast Region City Deal, launching Go Succeed for enterprise support, and completing landmark projects like Belfast Grand Central Station, but recognise much remains to be done to realise the full scale of our ambition.
As we focus on achieving our bold ambitions, outcomes and strategic priorities, this Statement of Progress, alongside the supplementary Data Insight Report (link opens in new window), charts our journey and will help inform future priorities. Together, we’ll continue building a confident, inclusive and prosperous Belfast for everyone.
The Belfast Agenda and the community planning process is a significant catalyst for the city, bringing together partner organisations, regional government departments and agencies, the council and local communities to work collaboratively to deliver our shared vision. It’s about creating real, sustainable improvements in people’s wellbeing and quality of life in our city.
As a partnership we are committed to our vision for the city. To help us achieve this vision, the Belfast Agenda has outlined:
Within the five themes, partners have identified over 15 priorities and 100 strategic intents and collaborative actions for delivery between 2024 and 2028. This Statement of Progress outlines our journey so far in delivering against these ambitious commitments and should be read in conjunction with the supplementary Data Insight Report (link opens in new window).
Our city is home to an additional 66,000 people.
A 33 per cent reduction in the life expectancy gap between the most and least deprived neighbourhoods.
Our economy will support 46,000 additional jobs.
Every young person leaving school has a destination that fulfils their potential.
Our carbon emissions will be reduced by 80 per cent.
There are many things that we need to do to make our vision a reality. We’ve set ourselves five very bold ambitions to be achieved by 2035 - our progress against these longer-term targets is detailed in bullet points and has been benchmarked against agreed baselines. You can find further information on the data behind the ambitions in the supplementary Data Insight Report (link opens in new window).
Our first formal review of Belfast’s 2017 community plan found us in challenging circumstances. However, it proved a timely opportunity to check in with partners as we picked up The Belfast Conversation, engaging residents, statutory and non-statutory partners and the voluntary and community sector to sense check the city’s vision, priorities and outcomes still provided the right focus for Belfast.
Apart from recognising the climate crisis as a clear priority, our vision and long-term outcomes remained largely unchanged. In the second phase of engagement, we worked closely with stakeholders to create strategic intents, stretch goals and detailed action plans outlining partners’ contributions to achieving the city’s ambitions. The third phase included a full public consultation on the refreshed strategy and action plans, incorporating valuable feedback into our refreshed Belfast Agenda 2024-2028. The Community Planning Partnership would like to thank every person who attended our workshops, contributed online or submitted a survey.
No one could have predicted how much the world would have changed since the publication of our first Statement of Progress in November 2019. From emerging from a global pandemic, responding to an ongoing climate emergency, and a cost-of-living crisis adversely impacting upon the health and wellbeing of our citizens and widening existing inequalities across the city. We’ve been through a lot!
Throughout these difficult times, the strength of Community Planning partners has been central to helping us act quickly and effectively in a crisis, creating a ‘sense of can do’ and innovating how we work together. The call to action created by these circumstances has forged new innovative approaches to critical city challenges and delivered proof of concept interventions which informed wider whole system changes to how we support vulnerable people affected by homelessness, addiction or poor mental health. Through initiatives such as Complex Lives we have established a multi-agency model and provided co-ordinated support for vulnerable people.
While this Statement of Progress showcases many positive partnership outcomes, we acknowledge the need for sustained, deeper cross-sector collaboration to address the city’s most pressing challenges.
For instance, insufficient capacity in critical infrastructure, such as water and wastewater, hinders new developments for housing and businesses and impacts growth ambitions. Substantial investment is required to upgrade infrastructure and support our vision for a sustainable, connected urban future.
Linked to infrastructure but influenced by shifting household patterns, we face a growing gap between housing supply and demand, straining social and private sectors. While the Housing Supply Strategy and action plans are positive steps, a whole-systems approach is needed, examining policy changes, new funding models, and innovative land use to deliver mixed-tenure developments at scale and pace.
Significant health challenges persist, with widening inequalities, lower life expectancy, and higher rates of chronic disease and mental health issues varying by location. We will continue promoting collaborative efforts, with a stronger focus on helping the most vulnerable live healthier, happier lives.
The cost-of-living crisis has highlighted poverty’s scale and impacts, with increasing numbers struggling to cover essentials. Despite anti-poverty and employability initiatives, child and in-work poverty remain persistent. We must collaborate more effectively to improve outcomes for these groups.
Together, we are committed to continuing to strengthen our networks and partnerships across the city, bringing a greater focus on developing place-based solutions and understanding how resources and future commissioning of services can support these. We will create an environment which encourages innovation and new collaborative approaches.
No single sector or intervention can achieve lasting change alone. A 'whole-system approach' has emerged as a key theme. Through community planning we will continue to facilitate and advocate for this to deliver meaningful benefits for everyone.
The Belfast Community Planning Partnership (CPP) was established in February 2018 with the shared aim to improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of our communities.
The partnership continues to lead and provide collective oversight on delivery of the Belfast Agenda. This work is supported by four thematic delivery boards, a number of operational delivery groups and a refreshed voluntary, community and social enterprise panel who drive work on actions and seek to problem-solve and innovate.
Boards are accountable for ownership and delivery of Belfast Agenda Priority Action Plans.
A number of delivery sub-groups exist to support implementation of specific priorities.
In Spring 2020, a VCSE Sectoral Advisory Panel was established to recognise Belfast’s vibrant and active voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, and to further strengthen the sector’s involvement in the community planning process. During its first term the VCSE Panel has helped to drive forward the Belfast Agenda.
Recognising the unique role of our VCSE organisations within community planning and in supporting effective community engagement, members of the VCSE Panel were actively involved in a cross-sectoral steering group to oversee the development of a co-design framework. The process of developing the co-design framework highlighted the importance of adopting a broader approach to civic participation and community engagement. The CPP and VCSE Panel is committed to enhancing how we listen, engage and work collaboratively with our residents, communities and our partners. It is anticipated that the practical framework will become just one element in a more joined-up approach to involving people and communities in community planning. The framework is already being tested in relation to developing a Whole Systems Approach to Healthy Weight.
Following an independent nomination and selection process led by NICVA, membership of the VCSE Sectoral Advisory Panel was refreshed and ratified by the CPP in April 2025.
As the panel enters a second four-year term (2025-2029), membership has doubled from 15 to 30 representatives to better reflect Belfast's large and diverse voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors. Panel members reflect a balance from across areas of the city, neighbourhood renewal partnership areas, Belfast agenda themes and priorities, Section 75 and minoritised voices and large and small organisations.
The VCSE Panel aims:
As we continue to work together to shape a thriving, inclusive city, the Local Development Plan (LDP) provides a vital framework to help realise the ambitions in the Belfast Agenda.
The first part of the LDP, the Plan Strategy, was adopted in May 2023 and sets out the growth strategy of the city and the spatial framework for that growth, including the operational policies against which planning applications are assessed. The second part of the Plan is the Local Policies Plan which focuses more on the allocation of lands necessary to enable the city to grow and develop in a sustainable way. It contains local policies and site-specific proposals in relation to the development and use of land and opportunities consistent with the Plan Strategy.
Overall, the LDP will seek to support the development of sustainable neighbourhoods, places which are well designed and provide a sufficient supply and choice of homes that will meet the city’s growing and more diverse population. The plan also supports an integrated transport network offering travel choice that minimises congestion and pollution; it encourages the expansion of green infrastructure networks for walking and cycling to encourage active travel and improve air quality and promote increased use of public transport while retaining appropriate provision for cars.
The LDP will also seek to develop an integrated and multi-functional green infrastructure network of high-quality open spaces, parks, and corridors to support biodiversity, encourage physical activity and improve links between the neighbourhoods, facilities, services, employment and the city centre.
Once published, the Local Policies Plan should be read in combination with the Plan Strategy and considered as a whole. These together form the basis for decision-making on planning applications and unless otherwise stated all the criteria used in each policy will apply to relevant proposals and should be considered holistically.
Partners are focussed on addressing health inequalities and improving the quality of life and wellbeing for everyone in the city. We have been working collaboratively on physical and mental health, social cohesion, isolation and community vulnerability and are committed to continue working together to narrow inequality gaps across Belfast.
The Complex Lives initiative supports some of Belfast’s most vulnerable people who are experiencing a cycle of rough sleeping, addiction, poor mental and physical health, and offending behaviour. The initiative provides a multi-disciplinary ‘whole system’ statutory and community and voluntary partnership delivery model, pooling expertise, skills and resources focused on improving outcomes for individuals who are chronically homeless in Belfast.
MASH is the development of a partnership delivery model that enables organisations, including police, health and councils to work at local level to support vulnerable people who do not meet thresholds for acute support, but whose situations are at risk of escalation and causing high demand for a range of services. This collaborative network helps to coordinate services, assess hidden needs and improve access to services and support. Key aims include expanding the cohort of vulnerable individuals being supported as well as the scope of agencies involved.
This initiative promotes positive mental health and emotional wellbeing through five simple steps: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give. It encourages individuals and organisations to integrate these actions into daily life for better outcomes.
Partners are committed to promoting physical activity and nutrition to enhance health and wellbeing, reduce obesity, and encourage active lifestyles across Belfast. Initiatives like Active Belfast and the Whole System Approach to healthy weight engage communities through targeted programmes, training and partnerships.
This partnership delivers physical activity and nutrition sessions in 26 community centres, focusing on children, young people, adults, families, and older people to build skills, improve inclusion, and foster social connections.
We have delivered programmes promoting cycling for health through accessible, inclusive activities in outdoor spaces and community hubs.
This collaborative effort unites statutory, voluntary, and community agencies to address obesity causes and drive system changes, targeting higher rates in deprived areas (20 per cent of P1 children, 27 per cent of Year 8 children, and 65 per cent of adults in NI).
We continue to invest in our communities and in creating local assets and facilities across the city that people can access and enjoy. Such investment creates opportunity and empowers communities to improve their local places.
Partners have been working towards developing a joined-up approach to neighbourhood regeneration, connecting people, places and services at a local level through partnership. We are committed to helping our people and places achieve their full potential and working collaboratively to meet the needs of each area of the city.
Partners are committed to enhancing community infrastructure through investments in local assets, delivering sustainable benefits for residents across Belfast. We work with community groups, organisations and funding agencies in the delivery of the Council’s Physical Programme, encompassing streams such as the Belfast Investment Fund, Local Investment Fund, Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund, Social Outcomes Fund, Urban Villages Programme and others. These initiatives support a diverse range of capital projects citywide, boosting health, wellbeing, connectivity and other economic opportunities.
Partners are dedicated to fostering safe, inclusive, and shared spaces across Belfast through the Good Relations Strategy and collaborative actions via the Shared City Partnership. By securing investments from the now-closed Peace IV Programme and the new PEACEPLUS Local Action Plan, we are building vibrant, connected places that promote community cohesion.
This initiative has secured £15.1 million to support revenue and capital projects that enhance peaceful, thriving communities, cultural diversity, and shared spaces.
Almost £1 million funding has been secured and work underway to create a new LGBTQIA+ Hub at the 2 Royal Avenue building, funded by the PEACEPLUS programme. This investment will create a communal and supportive space for various cultural communities, including the LGBTQIA+ community, as part of the building's broader transformation into a cultural and creative hub.
In 2024, we completed two landmark projects under the EU's Peace IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), with support from the Department for Communities, the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland, and Belfast City Council. These developments promote community cohesion, inclusivity, and sustainable spaces.
In June 2025, following extensive consultation and engagement Belfast City Council ratified a new Community Support Plan. This plan includes as one of its underpinning principles a commitment to ‘contribute to tackling poverty through community support services through proactive measures and activity which seek to positively change the life experiences of local communities and their residents’.
The Community Support Plan is the delivery plan for a number of different initiatives that provide services that support those in poverty such as Advice Services and Social Supermarkets.
From April 2023 to 31 March 2025, we have supported 25,149 individuals through the Social Supermarket Programme, providing £1,350,439 to 27 projects.
These community-led models offer affordable food alongside wrap-around support, such as benefit checks, debt advice, training, employment guidance and childcare. Delivery models are tailored to meet local needs, from shop-style setups in community organisations to specialised support for groups like domestic violence survivors or people with disabilities.
From April 2023 to 31 March 2025, Belfast City Council provided funding of £2.07 million to advice services in the city who supported over 50,000 individuals with access to free, independent advice.
Through the Belfast Agenda we are committed to collaborating with government departments and community partners to develop area-based community plans. These plans reflect local needs and priorities, enabling targeted actions to drive meaningful change at a neighbourhood level and are developed by engaging communities to identify local needs, challenges and opportunities.
Supported by the Executive Office and Department for Communities, Neighbourhood Renewal Partners in north Belfast conducted extensive engagement and action planning, resulting in a comprehensive Area Plan for North Belfast. We are committed to exploring opportunities to deliver the North Belfast Plan and to support similar processes in other parts of Belfast.
In the Wider University and Lower Ormeau area, partners have collaborated to tackle systemic societal challenges, tailoring resources, projects or interventions to improve outcomes for residents.
Following extensive engagement, a multi-agency action plan was created to address crime, community cohesion and well-being. Funded by the Public Health Authority, South District Policing and Community Safety Partnership and Belfast City Council, an Area Intervention Manager has been appointed to lead on the delivery of the action plan and serve as a community champion on behalf of partners.
‘All children and young people deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential and achieve the best educational outcomes and life chances possible. We must realise our ambition for change in improving educational outcomes.’
Partners recognise the fundamental contribution of education to improving the wellbeing and life opportunities of children, as well as the wider benefits to our communities and economy. We’re committed to working to ensure that every child and young person is supported in their wellbeing and learning so that they develop the skills and capabilities to fulfil their potential and progress into a positive destination, such as employment or further and higher education.
‘A whole community and place-based approach to tackling educational disadvantage’
Announced in May 2024 by the Minister of Education, the RAISE Programme (Raising Achievement to Reduce Educational Disadvantage) is a whole community and place-based approach to tackling educational disadvantage in 18 localities across Northern Ireland including four in Belfast, supporting the Department of Education’s vision that “every child is happy learning and succeeding.” It focusses on two objectives:
Collaborative programmes build connections between schools, families and communities to support attainment and transitions. We are committed to enhancing the scale of the impact of our work and identifying opportunities for partnership delivery with community partners.
Eastside Partnership have delivered a number of whole community approaches to education, supported with funding received from Department of Education’s WRAP Programme and The Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC).
STEP is a bespoke early intervention programme developed with funding received from the Department of Education’s WRAP Programme and EPPOC. STEP seeks to build a positive whole community approach to education in south Belfast and works to develop the education infrastructure by connecting schools and five community-based partners.
The consortium of community and voluntary sector organisations working on STEP is led and co-ordinated by Forward South Partnership and consists of community partners - South Belfast Sure Start, Barnardo’s, Sólás and Belfast South Community Resources.
Together the partners deliver a holistic, place-based early intervention programme specifically designed to provide support to families and children, helping them get the best start in life. The underlying ethos is that children will fail to thrive if the wider family unit of which they are a part of is not thriving.
Through focusing on community connectedness, STEP contributes to peace building and tackling paramilitarism, raising aspirations, improvements to emotional wellbeing, and empowerment.
There are seven key strands to this work.
Each year, around 2,300 children and 800 parents are engaged in STEP in South Belfast. It works with a core network of 7 primary schools and 6 nurseries, but programmes can work across a larger number of schools. The project has resulted in improved emotional wellbeing, increased confidence and a stronger sense of community connectedness. A strong collaboration has been built between the partners, and the programme has helped build community capacity in the area.
Greater Shankill Partnership have developed a whole child, whole family, whole community, whole system approach to transforming the lives of children and young under the umbrella of the Greater Shankill Children and Young People Zone. This work has been supported from DE funding. Working in partnership with Queen’s University, eight local Primary and three post-primary schools, a bespoke Teacher Professional Learning guide sharing best practice has been co-designed and delivered to cohorts at leadership level, senior management and at induction of new teachers.
This approach led to the eight primary schools forming the first Area Learning Community (ALC) at Primary school level in Northern Ireland. In February 2024, Queen’s University and Greater Shankill Partnership signed a Memorandum of Understanding to continue this and other work.
West Belfast Partnership Board, in partnership with the other Area Partnerships, delivered a GCSE Support Programme, providing targeted tuition in Maths and English for students with predicted low grades, supporting 680 students over two years and increasing the percentage of school leavers progressing into a positive destination.
We have also supported an accelerated reader programme for 1,055 pupils as an early intervention, conducting over 3,216 assessments to improve comprehension and encourage independent reading.
Addressing chronic pupil absence is recognised in our community plan as essential action in the journey towards helping reduce educational inequalities. In 2023, the Education Authority’s (EA) School Development Service launched a post-primary attendance programme in the Belfast area, aimed at supporting schools to improve pupil attendance. Attendance in all participating schools improved and the pilot programme left schools with tools and approaches to sustain this improvement. Key learning from this initiative has been incorporated into the joint attendance guidance from the Department of Education and Education Authority.
As a compassionate city, partners are committed to maximising access, opportunities and choices for children with special educational needs and disabilities, both at school and in their communities.
Hydrotherapy offers incredible benefits for all children including those with disabilities. The buoyancy of the water allows for movements that may not be possible on land, reducing pressure on joints and muscles while encouraging strength, promoting muscle relaxation, flexibility and coordination. The benefits of hydrotherapy go far beyond the physical – it builds confidence, fosters independence and provides moments of fun and freedom that are essential to a child’s emotional wellbeing.
…The hydrotherapy pool is more than just a facility, it represents a step forward in our commitment to ensuring every child, regardless of ability, has the opportunity to thrive, grow and experience the joys of learning and development in an environment that supports their unique needs.
In 2024-2025 the Education Authority facilitated the first bespoke programme for Early Career Teachers in Irish with 10 Irish-medium schools in Belfast participating. In August 2024, the Education Authority, in partnership with St Mary’s University College, Belfast, facilitated a professional learning programme for Irish Medium educators on the use of Digital Technology to support immersive pedagogy. Seventeen educators in Belfast availed of this capacity building opportunity.
The Labour Market Partnership have funded upskilling Irish medium Academies in partnership with GaelChúrsaí for 115 people to become Level 3 or Level 5 qualified Classroom Assistants.
Partners have been working to drive enhanced productivity and create better jobs through investment in innovation and skills. Developing inclusive pathways to good employment has been identified by partners as a key area of focus.
The Belfast Labour Market Partnership (LMP) focuses on improving Belfast’s employability outcomes and labour market conditions by working with a range of partners, helping connect employers and employees and being responsive to meet local need. Convened and developed by Belfast City Council with funding from the Department for Communities and Department for the Economy, the following key achievements are a snapshot of what’s been delivered throughout the reporting period.
Belfast Met supports learners through diverse programmes, fostering skills development, apprenticeships and pathways to employment. Over the past two years the college has supported 12,098 individual learners across 20,554 enrolments, with 92 per cent reporting satisfaction and 88 per cent of both FE and HE leavers progressing to further learning or employment. An impressive 2,100 learners have undertaken an apprenticeship (Level 2 or 3) or a higher level apprenticeship (Level 4 or 5).
After a career break due to family responsibilities, I found it challenging to re-enter the workforce. Completing the course significantly boosted my self-esteem. I not only gained a qualification but also improved my digital literacy, communication, and time management skills.
It has been a great stepping stone to getting the confidence to start back to employment, and with the ever-changing computer systems, it has definitely helped me feel less overwhelmed.
Supported by Bank of America, this delivers 30 Digital Skills Academies over three years for targeted groups like women returners, adult learners, those with disabilities (including neurodivergent) and newcomers.
The programme has successfully supported over 2,048 learners and provides upskilling and reskilling through accredited qualifications in priority areas like Health and Social Care, Childcare, IT, Green Skills, Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, Hospitality, Tourism and transversal skills (leadership, management, business, marketing).
Through the Skill Up Programme, Belfast Metropolitan College has tailored its course offerings to meet the diverse needs of its learners. This included Cybersecurity Skills courses designed specifically for neurodiverse learners and a Level 2 Coaching and Mentoring programme aimed at women in the Renewables sector. The college also continued its commitment to supporting the Hospitality and Tourism sector by collaborating with industry partners to develop targeted courses that address existing skills gaps, particularly through its Get into Hospitality initiative.
The college delivered 15 Assured Skills Academies to 235 participants delivering qualifications and employment in key growth sectors such as data analytics, software development, professional business services and childcare.
Over the past two years, we have worked with our city and regional partners across the public and private sectors to understand the issues facing businesses and to develop support interventions to address key areas of concern.
In November 2023, delivery began on Go Succeed, a new approach to business start-up and growth support available across Northern Ireland.
In Belfast, significant numbers of budding entrepreneurs and existing businesses have engaged with the service since its inception.
Given the importance of the social enterprise sector in Belfast, we have put in place targeted support to help place these businesses on a more sustainable financial footing, including increasing the value of earned income outside of public sector investment. Over the last two years, we have supported more than 120 social enterprises by providing specialist mentoring, advice and guidance. We have also supported 24 social enterprises through our Social Enterprise Investment Fund – allocating almost £150,000 over that period.
The Digital Transformation Flexible Fund aimed at supporting micro and small businesses with digital transformation projects supported 17 Belfast businesses with over £250,000 awarded in March 2025. A peer support network and wraparound support was established through Go Succeed to support businesses with their application and to help them apply the technologies within their business once successful.
Invest NI promotes innovation, exports and funding to help local businesses grow competitively on a global scale.
The signing of the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD) in December 2021 was a key milestone for the city and wider region as it secured a financial commitment of the UK Government, NI Executive and BRCD partners, to work with industry to deliver a £1 billion programme of investment that offers a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to accelerate inclusive economic growth for the region.
Over the lifetime of the deal, the following benefits are anticipated.
Over the past two years we have made significant strides forward in progressing the BRCD.
Belfast Business Promise is our new membership and accreditation initiative for employers committed to inclusive growth and improving best-practice standards in Belfast. Built around eight pledges, such as providing fair wages and supporting the local and social economy, the scheme sets aspirations for excellence and its flexibility makes sure all employers can take part, regardless of size and sector.
To date, 70 organisations have signed up to the Belfast Business Promise and 228 pledges awarded across our business community; 23 organisations have progressed to Member status, and 11 have achieved Ambassador status.
Belfast is the first council to become Living Wage accredited in the region. Belfast Business Promise is a lever in addressing this issue with 20 organisations becoming LW accredited.
Addressing housing pressures remains a priority for the city and supports our ambition to grow the population. Since November 2023, progress has been made across a range of areas, both at a strategic and delivery level.
In December 2024, the NI Executive published a 15-year Housing Supply Strategy (2024-39). Developed by the Department for Communities (DfC), it focuses on delivering the right homes in suitable locations to meet future and current needs, ensuring everyone has access to good quality, affordable and sustainable housing in inclusive communities.
Guided by the Local Development Plan (LDP), Housing-Led Regeneration Group partners, including the Housing Executive, DfC and City Council, continue to work together to remove development barriers and increase supply across all types of housing (social, intermediate, owner-occupied and private rental).
Social housing is delivered in a tri-partite arrangement between DfC, the Housing Executive and participating Housing Associations, with grant funding from DfC. This model continues to underpin delivery across Belfast, supporting new build and rehabilitation of existing properties.
The Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations notes a high volume of on-site and programmed units in Belfast suggesting readiness for scale and delivery. Overall, significant progress has been made despite a challenging funding landscape.
Partners remain committed to delivering innovative solutions that address housing needs, ensuring inclusive and equitable outcomes citywide.
To thrive, cities must have transportation systems which allow the maximum volume of people to travel while doing the least possible harm to the environment, with active and sustainable choices bringing health benefits to all. Since November 2023, significant progress has been made on strategic initiatives, projects and programmes that support and encourage people to make more sustainable and active travel choices
The Department for Infrastructure is continuing to progress the Eastern Transport Plan in an integrated manner with the Local Development Plan and other stakeholders.
Grand Central Station opened its doors to passengers in September 2024, offering seamless connections between bus, coach, rail, and active travel. This regional hub is the largest on the island of Ireland with the capacity for up to 20 million journeys per year. With eight rail platforms and twenty-six bus stands, it enhances opportunities for people to live, work and visit in Belfast and the wider region. The new station has welcomed over 8 million people. This success has contributed to more than 4 million additional journeys across the wider public transport network since opening, reflecting a significant modal shift. Achieving 96 per cent user satisfaction rating, indicating strong public approval and driving increase in patronage compared to 2023, mostly notably a 40 per cent increase in cross border rail travel.
Opened in April 2024, this station provides modern, accessible facilities to support North Belfast regeneration and provides connectivity to the Ulster University and Cathedral Quarter.
In February 2025 the Minister announced the next steps for the Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT2) project, which will see the Glider service extended to north and south Belfast. Translink continue to work to enhance public transport journey times and reliability. In financial year 2024-25 Metro and Glider passengers have increased by 4 per cent year on year carrying 30 million passengers.
Contactless “tap and go” payments are now available across all Translink services, boosting usage by simplifying fares, removing barriers to travel and providing passengers with best value fares through daily capping. Next steps include installing ticket vending machines across the city centre and introducing account-based ticketing (ABT) where users tap on and off with cards or smartcards for automatic daily fare calculation and capping.
With around half of the Metro fleet now operating as zero emission and the remainder comprising low emission vehicles, the transition to a cleaner, greener transport network is well underway. The new buses offer high-spec e-leather seating, USB charging ports, free Wi-Fi, and dedicated wheelchair spaces—delivering comfort, accessibility, and sustainability helping to create a cleaner, better connected, healthier city for all.
Translink launched its Better On-Board Charter in November 2024 as part of a movement to encourage modal shift to buses, trains and active travel, reducing congestions, improving air quality and creating a more sustainable future for everyone. To date, 16 anchor organisations representing over 100,000 people have signed up across Belfast and Derry-Londonderry where the need is most urgent to tackle traffic congestion. Better on Board has recently aligned with the Belfast Business Promise as part of Pledge 3, Protecting Our Environment.
Belfast Healthy Cities piloted a Key Stage 2 Teaching Resource called “Healthy Transport” which educates students on topics such as air pollution and active travel, and links in with the Northern Ireland Primary School Curriculum. The resource includes a 5-step toolkit, templates and worksheets to allow students to be directly involved in the design and delivery of a “Walking Bus” – a supervised group of children walking to school with designated ‘stops.’ Walking buses are a safe, social and environmentally sustainable way for children to travel, promoting exercise and road safety awareness.
The Healthy Transport Teaching Resource and Walking Bus Toolkit will be made available to all primary schools in Northern Ireland starting in the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.
Since November 2023, Belfast continues to make tangible progress towards our shared ambition of making our city centre a vibrant, attractive and welcoming place to live, work and visit with good connectivity to our surrounding neighbourhoods. Work continues on a number of strategic projects such as the delivery of the ‘Bolder Vision’ strategy, the refresh of our Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy and Place-Based Growth Proposition. Partners have continued to work together on a range of projects with multiple social, economic and sustainable benefits felt across the city and beyond.
Evolving from Belfast’s European Capital of Culture aspirations and delivered through the city’s cultural strategy, “A City Imagining,” Belfast hosted the city’s largest year of creative and cultural celebration ever in 2024.
The Belfast 2024 cultural programme recorded over 110,000 people participating in 1400+ events and other activities which were hosted across the city; 97 per cent of attendees surveyed reported feeling proud that this was happening in Belfast, with 36 per cent from outside the city.
In March 2025, it was announced that Belfast City Council in partnership with Ards Comhaltas Cheoil na hÉireann will deliver the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in 2026. It’s estimated that this diverse celebration of music, dance and language will attract over 650,000 visitors and generate approximately £50 million in economic impact. This international exposure will help boost the city’s reputation as a thriving global cultural capital which is welcoming, dynamic and inspirational.
In January 2025, the Department for the Economy launched a Tourism Vision and Action Plan aiming to grow the tourism sector and increase tourism expenditure to over £2 billion by the end of our Belfast Agenda ten-year plan in 2035 from a baseline position of £1.2 billion recorded in 2023. Despite the severe impact of Covid-19 on the visitor economy, Belfast maintains its appeal as a fantastic city break destination with high levels of visitor satisfaction. We’ve attracted business events that have delivered demonstratable social and economic benefits for the city and wider region.
Visit Belfast industry sustainability survey (2024-25) was completed by 160 tourism businesses. Key findings include:
Visit Belfast also commissioned the city’s first dedicated resident sentiment survey to measure attitudes towards tourism in 2024-5 which found that Belfast enjoys strong support for tourism amongst its residents. Key findings include:
Visit Belfast handled 14,555 enquiries for neighbourhoods in north, south, east and west of the city in 2024-25, an indicator of the increasing interest in tourism that benefits our communities.
The city ranked 9th out of 100 international destinations on the Global Sustainability Index in 2024; the city also received a number of other accolades, including:
The Belfast Waterfront Taskforce (2021) launched Belfast Waterfront Framework in 2023, an agreed vision for 10km stretch of connected waterfront promenade. Since launching, public and private sector partners have invested over £12 million into public realm projects on the waterfront and a further £650,000 has been secured to undertake feasibility on transforming areas under the M3 Bridge into health and wellbeing opportunities, a new bridge from Titanic Quarter to Sailortown and Blueway accreditation for the River Lagan. New footfall counters installed along the promenade in March 2024, have recorded 6.4million trips up to July 2025.
Belfast Stories will be a unique destination that will unlock almost 100 years of heritage at the 1930 Art Deco Bank of Ireland and surrounding site on the corner of Royal Avenue and North Street.
Set to open by 2030, Belfast Stories is the flagship project in the tourism and regeneration pillar of the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD) programme of investment which aims to drive inclusive economic growth, deliver more and better jobs, a positive impact on the most deprived communities and help balance the spread of benefits across the region. Belfast Stories threads together a public space where people can gather, a visitor attraction communicating the spirit of the city and a creative hub for writers, musicians, artists and filmmakers to collaborate.
In 2022, the council allocated £1 million to the Vacant to Vibrant capital grant programme designed to incentivise property owners and potential occupiers to bring vacant premises in the city centre back into active use.
The fund was fully exhausted in 2025, having supported 48 projects across Belfast city centre to revitalise vacant properties and enable new and expanding local businesses, social enterprises, and cultural organisations to activate spaces and improve streetscapes. It has also supported investment in shop front improvements, signage, internal fit-outs, accessibility upgrades, and more, helping to bridge the viability gap of reactivating vacant space in the city centre. In addition to the capital grant, applicants were also offered a free matchmaking service helping those seeking the right vacant spaces to meet their needs and wraparound business support from council’s Economic Development Unit.
It is anticipated that for every £1 invested, at least £3.98 will be returned in rates income over the term of the leases due to the activation of vacant properties. Council secured £500,000 of capital funding from the Department for Communities and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to extend the scheme beyond the city centre in November 2024.
The Vacant to Vibrant scheme was recognised by the Institute of Place Management (IPM) as exemplary in terms of inception and design; it was promoted as a UK High Street Task Force Best Practice Case Study for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The scheme has also has also received extensive coverage in the media, for example, High Society Cut Club were recognised for opening their unique business in a property that had been vacant for 20 years; Bodega Bagels were featured in BBC news coverage and ‘Beau’ a sister restaurant establishment of EDO, led by Great British Menu chef Lottie Noren, received acclaim in The Times.
The owner of this once vacant unit on Queen Street availed of Vacant to Vibrant funding to restore the historic building, with a view to securing a long-term occupier. Works to the property included new metal framed ‘Crittal’ windows, installation of new lighting and flooring, internal fitout and redecoration internal and external of the building. These works helped the property owner to secure a tenant in the form of award-winning Golden Thread art gallery. Set across two floors, the venue includes large galleries, a projection room, a community participation and engagement hub, and NI’s first visual art library and archive. The Gallery was shortlisted as a top five UK museum by The Art Fund Museum of the Year, 2025.
The “Entries Programme” and reopening of the historic Sugarhouse Entry was completed in the city centre (manged by council, funded by the Department for Communities), improving connectivity, attractiveness and preserving the historic heart of the city.
The Clean, Green, Inclusive and Safe (CGIS) City Centre strategy and action plan responded to the findings of a public consultation, benchmarking exercise, and Strategic Stakeholder Engagement Study, involving a wide range of stakeholders.
Key achievements include the procurement of new power washer to improve street washing and cleansing capabilities with plans in place to recruit new staff to create a power washing team; council-led anti-litter campaigns in the city centre and beyond; ongoing operation of 2 Royal Avenue as a curated, welcoming public civic space in the city centre.
The Department for Infrastructure have established a multi-agency task and finish group to continue the focus on city centre and functionality; council have also established a Future City Centre Leadership Coordination Group to raise and expedite issues relating to place keeping, management and development in the city centre.
Work also continues on the delivery of a Cleanliness Charter for Belfast.
Belfast continues to have a strong focus on innovation, with several key initiatives and partnerships driving its development as a leading innovation hub.
Belfast faces major challenges related to climate change and sustainability. These challenges will have a profound impact on economic and social objectives unless they are addressed with urgency and in a collaborative manner.
We are committed to shaping a green, transformed and healthy city that is resilient to climate change, attractive for green investment and offers a high quality of urban life for residents.
A major highlight is the UPSURGE Community Garden at Lower Botanic Gardens, funded through the EU Horizon programme. This tests nature-based solutions (NBS) to mitigate air pollution and reduce the impact of climate change stressors. The project started in September 2021 and is due to be completed in February 2026. It promotes shared learning and good practice on the management of green spaces for pollution alleviation, supporting citizen health and climate resilience.
Delivered by Belfast City Council and Queen’s University, working in partnership with 24 partners, the demonstrator site features research trials which measure the transmission of contaminates to food and plant matter, a community garden and a resilience garden. The installation of environmental sensors is also planned for the site which will measure temperature, humidity, pressure, ozone, Nitric Dioxide (NO), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Particle Matter (Dust) and noise levels. Other exciting additions have included the installation of solar panels on the roof of the shipping containers and an innovative water pump and compost toilet.
The project is intended to serve as a ‘lighthouse’ to accelerate, transfer and upscale the use of nature-based solutions and mainstream them into the urban agenda through co-design processes with citizens and stakeholders.
TALX2 establishes an innovative 'living lab' approach, engaging communities, government agencies, and stakeholders as equal partners to plan and adapt for an uncertain future. Belfast is one of three living labs across the island of Ireland (alongside Dublin and Mayo). Launched in March 2024, the TALX team has collaborated closely with local authorities in these locations.
Completed in December 2024, the BTFAS helps Belfast manage tidal flood risks from climate change, providing enhanced protection for over 3,000 homes and businesses. The flood defences account for climate projections to 2080 and are designed for further adaptability. Thoughtfully integrated with the landscape, the scheme preserves the River Lagan as a vibrant, welcoming space for communities, visitors, and investors. It includes earth embankments, brick-clad reinforced concrete walls, floodgates, glass defences, and demountable barriers that blend with existing streetscapes.
Key partners welcomed the project's completion, with the Minister for Infrastructure touring the works in early 2025 to emphasise its role in long-term resilience. This £33 million investment by the Department for Infrastructure better prepares the city for future tidal events, safeguarding people and infrastructure while promoting sustainability. The scheme features demountable and temporary defences to seal access points and roadways during alerts.
Post-completion, the Department is collaborating with multi-agency partners to update the Belfast Coastal Emergency Response Plan. Beyond flood protection, the scheme supports economic growth by securing homes, businesses, and infrastructure, attracting investment, and enhancing Belfast's reputation as a resilient city. It reduces economic and social impacts, with estimated flood damage avoidance benefits exceeding £168 million over its design life (based on 2018 figures).
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has been appointed to the External Advisory Board of the HEARTH Project (The National Hub on the Net Zero, Health and Extreme Heat). This research project, led by Oxford Brookes University is examining how the transition to net zero emissions can benefit vulnerable populations by improving health outcomes, such as reducing heat-related illnesses and enhancing living conditions during extreme heat events over a five-year period from 2025-2030.
Belfast City Council collaborated with the Met Office to create Heat Packs for the city. This work addressed information gaps at city and sub-city levels, using high-resolution climate projections for urban heat hazard estimates.
It is our aspiration to transform our throwaway economy into one where waste is eliminated, resources are circulated, and nature is regenerated. We are committed to working with partners to deliver local solutions and bring together the right people to ensure a just transition.
The council have commissioned several work streams linked to developing a low-carbon heat network within central Belfast. The evidence presented within the Local Area Energy Plan demonstrates that heat networks are one of the key projects to help Belfast progress towards net zero emissions.
Established in September 2022 following the Belfast Net Zero Carbon Roadmap, which identified buildings and transport as the city's top carbon-emitting sectors, the Hub adopts a consortium approach to accelerate retrofit activity across public and private buildings. It engages stakeholders from the construction supply chain, funders, academics, public bodies, housing providers, and consumer groups, informed by the Construction Leadership Council's National Retrofit Strategy.
Our aim is for Belfast to become an exemplar low carbon economy creating opportunities for training, employment and green growth. We will develop and implement city-wide testbeds through place-based interventions.
In September 2024, Belfast City Council launched the Local Area Energy Plan – the first to be developed in Northern Ireland. Recognised as the leading method for translating net zero targets into action, the LAEP marks a milestone moment in the city’s transition towards a resilient, low-carbon economy for everyone. Developed using cutting-edge whole-system modelling and extensive stakeholder engagement, the comprehensive road map capitalises on the city’s unique geographical characteristics and assets. Sitting on top of Sherwood Sandstone, the city has huge geothermal potential while an abundance of rooftops can generate solar energy. Led by council and developed collaboratively with key stakeholders, the Belfast LAEP presents a pipeline of priority projects including a district heat network, large scale retrofit of buildings, transition of oil households to low carbon heating and the deployment of rooftop solar panels.
As a primer to collaboration and a catalyst for future investment across the sector and beyond, the transformational LAEP sits alongside other net zero investments such as Translink’s net zero bus fleet, Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s retrofit programme and the Energising Belfast project. With electricity and gas network operators gearing up to decarbonise at scale, the plan charts a path to net zero that is affordable, and if properly resourced, will create new opportunities for jobs and businesses.
Belfast Harbour's integrated Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy places human capital and sustainability at the heart of all activities and aligns with the Trust Port mandate to operate, maintain, and enhance the Belfast Harbour Estate. In 2024, the Harbour invested £325,000 in local communities and a further £3.6 million was invested in City Quays Garden, a One Planet Living Public Space. The Harbour has achieved a 35 per cent reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in 2024.
We are acutely aware that inclusive growth challenges tend to present as inequalities across different geographies and communities of interest, and that turning the dial on inclusive growth requires analysis of the specific circumstances for Belfast and a bespoke approach to tracking inclusive growth which is mindful of local needs. This requires an evidence-based approach as well as proactively considering inclusive growth in the development, design and delivery of projects, programmes and plans.
In developing an Inclusive Growth Index, we will have a mechanism to collectively understand and track our progress as a city and enable us to examine how we can deliver a more inclusive approach to opportunities and growth. Council has completed the pilot phase to test the Inclusive Growth Toolkit, with recommendations for implementation agreed. An implementation plan will be put in place to help embed inclusive growth in decision-making processes in council, with further engagement with Community Planning partners planned for 2025-26.
We are dedicated to supporting Belfast residents facing financial pressures from the cost-of-living crisis and experiencing poverty. Through collaborative efforts with inspiring anti-poverty organisations, we provide advice, resources and initiatives to help individuals and families in need, enhancing access to essential support and building community resilience.
Over the past two years we have provided over £2.2 million to support over 97,000 individuals and families in need. The hardship programme has enhanced the capacity of organisations with expertise in the field of anti-poverty and working collaboratively with them we have delivered initiatives that have supported children and families, people in emergency need and older people.
“This initiative has given us the opportunity to provide additional warm nutritious meals to the children that attend our afternoon sessions. Children who have access to a hot healthy meal every day can focus better, connect with their peers, and it helps them reach their full potential. This funding also helps families who are struggling financially and in greatest need.”
To raise awareness and signpost residents to essential support and advice services, we have developed an annual cost-of-living support guide. Over the past two years 30,000 copies have been distributed citywide, complemented by an online webpage for easy access.
To foster partnerships and collaboration within the anti-poverty ecosystem, we hosted an inaugural networking event at City Hall in October 2024, attended by over 100 organisations. This annual event aims to highlight available services, strengthen cross-sector relationships, amplify the voice of service users, create valuable networking opportunities and inspire collective action toward eradicating poverty in Belfast.
The Belfast Learning Festival was launched on 2 April at City Hall (40+ organisations across multiple sectors attended). The festival ran from 9 to 13 April. The festival brought together 65 partners to deliver 119 free learning events to promote inclusive access to lifelong learning for people of all ages and backgrounds. £23,548 was awarded in small grant funding to assist not for profit organisations’ involvement and participation in the festival week.
Summary of impact data (based on survey data among participants and event hosts) shows:
Belfast Learning City continues to liaise with the Irish Network of Learning Cities. Belfast attended Cork’s International Learning City Exchanges in April 2025 and shared learning on the city’s Digital Badging approaches. Delegates from across the world were in attendance and the event was opened by Director of UNESCO Ms Isabel Kempf.
In January 2025, the city joined colleagues in Bristol, Birmingham, Derby, Kirklees, Manchester, Nottingham and Swansea to form a UK Network of Learning Cities, committed to improving lifelong learning opportunities.
The Learning City Coordinator along with Professor Mark Tully, Ulster University, presented at the UNESCO webinar for global network of learning cities about how Belfast is embedding age friendly, lifelong learning initiatives across multiple settings in our city. There were 100 participants in attendance from across the world.
Partners continue to look at innovative approaches to build peaceful and thriving communities in Belfast. We are committed to building an inclusive city and delivering programmes such as PEACEPLUS to continue our journey of reconciliation.
Highlights and progress include:
Partners are committed to delivering an age-friendly Belfast, with our Age Friendly Plan in its third year of delivery. This plan focuses on supporting those specific groups of older people who are more vulnerable to losing social connections, or whose physical activity levels are below what is recommended for good health and wellbeing and who face additional challenges in keeping strong and active.
Launched in April 2024, The Grapevine is an Older People’s Connection Hub based in 2 Royal Avenue, The Grapevine is currently staffed by two Age Friendly Volunteers with support from Age Friendly and Volunteer Now staff. The number of older people dropping in each week is approximately 15-20 and to date there have been approximately 954 visits recorded. Funding received from BHSCT Loneliness Network has enabled the continuation of the Grapevine and development of a toolkit, so that similar projects can be replicated across other areas.
Tea dances are held on a regular basis in venues across the city including Belfast Castle and 2 Royal Avenue with an average attendance of around 100 people per event. A recent evaluation was completed and out of the 97 people who completed the questionnaire, 78 people said they attend them on a monthly basis. People were asked if they felt less lonely as result of attending the tea dances and 59 people strongly agreed and 18 agreed that they do feel less lonely. (79 per cent in total). A sample of responses from the evaluation include comments that events are “Very enjoyable and very good for my mental health” and “so glad you have the Tea Dances- just great to meet and chat with different people- helps me get out from four walls” and “It has given me a lifeline.”
In partnership with Volunteer Now, Age Friendly Belfast developed a Volunteer Campaign called ‘Volunteering never gets old’ to encourage older people to volunteer in an effort to increase connections and wellbeing. Supported by funding from Public Health Agency a number of adverts with older volunteers were placed on adshels, buses and radio, and a volunteer fair, attended by 120 people was held at 2 Royal Avenue on 25 March.
Partners aim to create a seamless developmental pathway for children in their early years (eight and under) as well as increasing the resilience, empowerment of children and young people across all cohorts.
Produced by Belfast Area Outcomes Group partners, comprised of the city’s early interventions and family support delivery bodies, “The Belfast Child” blueprint document presents a child-centred approach to aligning services and activity to ensure that every child in the city aged 0-8 can be supported to thrive. This provides a roadmap which aspires to deliver more equitable outcomes for all children.
We aim for this work to create a supported eco-system around each child, where the players at each stage of the journey know their part, families, communities and support services in one shared mission. This represents a shared commitment to a whole child, whole family, whole community and whole system way of working that aims to ensure all Belfast children can thrive and reach their full potential.
The Belfast City Youth Council (BCYC) continue to meet on a fortnightly basis since launching in January 2020. The Council welcomed new members in April 2025 taking membership to 30.
To enable the Community Planning Partnership to understand Belfast’s changing dynamics and identify where to bring shared focus, we have developed a Data Insight Report (link opens in new window), published alongside this Statement of Progress. The report tracks our five bold ambitions for 2035 and 53 population indicators.
This comprehensive report helps us understand how we are delivering against the strategic outcomes for citizens, allowing the Community Planning Partnership to reflect on the city’s evolving conditions and pinpoint areas needing collective attention. Our population indicators reflect the conditions of the whole population within the city and take account of wider societal, environmental, or economic shocks.
While this Statement of Progress highlights where the work of community planning partners has advanced Belfast Agenda ambitions and priority action plans, we recognise that shifting population indicators requires more than community planning alone. It demands time, sustained commitment and collaboration across all levels of government and society to achieve lasting impact.
You can find more information about the data shown in the tables on this page in the supplementary Data Insight Report (link opens in new window).
| Indicator | Change from baseline position |
|---|---|
| City productivity levels | Improving |
| Investment into Belfast | Data development |
Size of the Belfast economy | Improving |
| Total number of businesses | Improving |
| Number of business start-ups | Worsening |
| Number of business deaths | Worsening |
| Absolute poverty | Improving |
| Relative poverty | Improving |
| The total number of jobs in Belfast | Improving |
| Working-age employment rate | Improving |
| Employment rate by deprivation | Worsening |
| Economic inactivity rate (ex-students) | Improving |
| Average earnings | Improving |
| Total spend by external visitors | Improving |
| Supply of housing | Improving |
| Disability employment rate | Improving |
| Indicator | Change from baseline position |
|---|---|
| Number of victims of any crime | Improving |
| Number of hate-motivated crimes | No significant change |
| Proportion of people who feel safe | Data development |
| Number of ASB incidents | Improving |
| The number of people who agree that people from different backgrounds get on well together | Data development |
| Proportion of people who believe their cultural identity is respected by society | Worsening |
| Proportion of young people who think that local facilities are shared and open to all | Worsening |
| Indicator | Change from baseline position |
|---|---|
| Proportion of working-age population who have attained Level 4 or above | Improving |
| Proportion of school-leavers achieving Level 2 or above including maths and English | Improving |
| Gap between percentage of school leavers entitled to free school meals achieving at least Level 2, including English and maths, and their peers | Improving |
| Proportion of school-leavers entering employment, education or training | No significant change |
| School attendance rates | Worsening |
| Volunteering | Improving |
| Self-efficacy | No significant change |
| Proportion of working-age population with no qualifications | No significant change |
| Indicator | Change from baseline position |
|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | No significant change |
| Gap in life expectancy by deprivation | Worsening |
| Proportion of babies born at a low birth weight | No significant change |
| Preventable deaths | Worsening |
| Adult obesity rate | Worsening |
| Child obesity rate (P1) | No significant change |
| Child obesity rate (Year 8) | No significant change |
| Proportion of population who smoke | Improving |
| Proportion of adults drinking above sensible drinking guidelines | Improving |
| Proportion of people who rank themselves as having high levels of wellbeing | Worsening |
| Proportion of adults who undertake at least 150 minutes of physical exercise per week | Data development |
| Number of households in housing stress | Worsening |
| Number of people in treatment for problem drug or alcohol misuse | Improving |
| Indicator | Change from baseline position |
|---|---|
| Air quality | Improving |
| Percentage of household waste that is reused, recycled or composted | Improving |
| Percentage of all journeys which are made by walking, cycling, or public transport | Data development |
| Visitor numbers | Improving |
| Engagement in culture and arts activities | No significant change |
| Number of miles of cycle lanes, footways and footpaths | Data development |
| Proportion of homes that are energy efficient | Data development |
| Satisfaction with Belfast as a place to live | Data development |
| Carbon emissions | Improving |
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