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We want to make Belfast a better place for everyone, so we work very closely with numerous partners to help shape the various city and regional strategies that will impact all our lives. Below we have summarised the key strategies for the city.
The Belfast Agenda is the city’s community plan and its key strategic document. Published in 2017, it outlines a collective vision for the city in 2035 and the outcomes we want to achieve. It was developed by a partnership of organisations involved in delivering services across the city and has been shaped by the important input from our citizens. The Belfast Agenda includes a range of ambitions which have, and will continue, to shape the strategies and action plans of all the city’s community planning partners.
The council’s Corporate Plan 2020-2024 is shaped by the Belfast Agenda. It sets out our organisational priorities, our core values and the work that we will do to improve the quality of life for everyone in Belfast over a four-year period.
The Local Development Plan (LDP) for Belfast sets out the council’s aspirations for the future physical development and growth of the city and the policies that will be used in assessing future planning applications. There is a statutory link between the community plan and the LDP, so the LDP supports the Belfast Agenda’s vision and outcomes to enable the sustainable spatial growth and development of the city. Belfast Agenda’s vision and objectives have influenced the LDP.
Our inclusive growth strategy aims to connect all residents with economic growth and ensure that everyone can succeed. It outlines the council’s commitment to adopting business practices that support inclusive growth while engaging with partners to also adopt inclusive growth principles and practices in their work and recognising that communities and citizens are vital in shaping our approach. The commitments within the strategy complement a range of local and regional strategies, plans and policies, including the LDP, the Belfast Agenda and our Corporate Plan.
While seeking to achieve the best commercial outcome from our procurement activities, our aim is to make sure that the buying of goods, services and works achieves value for money by making a positive difference to the people and communities in Belfast. We cannot afford not to - a missed opportunity to deliver social value is a cost that must be absorbed elsewhere in public services.
Our Social Value Procurement Policy outlines progressive procurement measures to help drive inclusive economic growth, improve the local environment and support vulnerable people.
The Resilience Strategy is the city’s first climate plan. It sets out 30 transformational programmes to transition Belfast to an inclusive, zero-emissions, climate-resilient economy within a generation. It provides a framework to safeguard Belfast against situations that could threaten its safety and stability over coming years and help us deliver our Belfast Agenda priorities.
The Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD) is a bespoke package of investment from central government and BRCD partners of more than £850 million. It aims to foster inclusive economic growth that delivers more and better jobs, a positive impact on the most deprived communities and a balanced spread of benefits across the region. This supports several of the priorities of the Belfast Agenda, along with the delivery of a shared vision for the region.
Belfast: Our Recovery was published in September 2020 to set out the areas we need to focus on in the short term to drive city recovery from the immediate impacts of the pandemic, while also building the foundations for sustained recovery and growth. While we will continue to deliver on our Belfast Agenda ambitions, our Corporate Plan and other city plans and strategies, this will be through the lens of the new challenges presented by the pandemic.
A Bolder Vision outlines the city’s vision to transform the centre of Belfast. It was developed collectively by Belfast City Council, the Department for Infrastructure and the Department for Communities, with broad stakeholder input. To achieve the inclusive growth ambitions described within the Belfast Agenda, the city centre is considered a principal driver in securing investment and creating jobs. A Bolder Vision outlines how a radical approach is needed to address underlying challenges and to reimagine how the city centre works.
We are currently developing an economic strategy for Belfast to cover the period 2022-2030. Its aim is to support our sustainable and inclusive growth ambitions for the city. It will align with the Department for the Economy’s economic vision for Northern Ireland described in its publication ‘10X Economy - Northern Ireland’s decade of innovation’. Like it, our economic strategy will focus on how we can maximise the return on our investments to benefit all our residents. It will also include a detailed action plan which clearly defines the role of the council and other key stakeholders in driving forward growth in the short, medium, and long-term.
Find out more about the draft Belfast Economic Strategy 2022-2030