Draft Action Plans 2023 - 2027

1. Address chronic homelessness by focusing on vulnerability and supporting the physical, mental, and social needs of those impacted.

• Continue to develop and embed the Belfast Complex Lives model – a multi-agency approach to providing timely and appropriate support and interventions to Belfast’s most vulnerable citizens – specifically those identified as being impacted by chronic homelessness
• Strengthen relations across established systems and processes (particularly case management orientated approaches) to develop a ‘One Belfast Vulnerability Model’.

• Support 50 people per year, who are impacted by, or at risk of, chronic homelessness into more secure and stable living arrangements and assisting with their physical, mental, and social health needs.
• Reduce the total number of individuals identified within the chronic homelessness cohort in Belfast, by 5 per cent per year (baseline to be established).
• System Improvements – How partners feel the impact of the work, for example,
  • Greater collaboration, amount and success of joint funding, commissioning, practices etc
• Cohort improvements – How people with complex lives benefit and their circumstances change, for example, 
  • Stability, positive lifestyles, prevention for at risk people, physical, mental health and wider well-being benefits.

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Strategic Support: Senior leadership Group (SLG) - BCC, BDACT, BHSCT, Depaul, DfC, DoJ/NIPs, EA, Extern, Homeless Connect, NIAS, NIHE, PHA, PBNI, PSNI, SEHSCT, Simon Community & The Welcome Organisation, Translink.

Operational Support: BHSCT, NIHE, PBNI, PSNI, Depaul, Extern, Simon Community and The Welcome Organisation

2. Promote and improve positive mental health and emotional wellbeing by raising awareness of support and services available and actions that can be taken at an individual level to improve or maintain good mental health

• Develop a joined-up, citywide approach that looks at all factors that influence mental health and emotional wellbeing (a “whole-systems” approach).
• Improve awareness of and access to mental health and emotional wellbeing services.
• Refresh and expand the Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing initiative focusing on communities, schools and workplaces.
• Develop and deliver a positive mental health and wellbeing charter and create mental health champions.
• Support the development and implementation of a new Integrated Care System and local delivery structures within the city.

• Contribute to increasing the proportion of residents satisfied with their mental health and emotional wellbeing from 82 per cent to 85 per cent.
• Contribute to streamlining referral pathways and enhanced accessibility to available services through use of new technologies.

Convening Lead(s): BHSCT

Strategic support: Health Inequalities Strategic Reference Group (HISRG): BCC, BHC, BHSCT, NIHE, PHA, SPPG.

• Co-design and deliver the Active Belfast Participatory Budgeting (PB) pilot programme to involve residents in deciding how money is invested to enable people to ‘move more and eat well – to feel better’.
• Review the Active Belfast PB pilot to inform future models of engagement and funding approaches which might be applied to support positive behavioural 
• change under the health inequalities and other Belfast Agenda themes.
• During 23-24 the Active Belfast Partnership (ABP) will develop a 3-year action plan to support the development and implementation of a whole system approach to improving physical activity and nutrition levels amongst residents in Belfast.
• Develop a shared understanding of the challenges associated with weight gain, obesity and physical inactivity, a joined-up, whole system approach and a collective action plan to address these issues.

• In 2023-24 the ABP will allocate £64K of joint funding for groups to deliver a range of Active Belfast PB pilot programmes across four areas of the city. 
• During 24-25 to 26-27, the ABP will implement a range of actions and initiatives (with a test and learn focus) in support of the new whole system approach being developed.
• Reduce levels of overweight/ obesity and increase physical activity levels (in line with targets set in the New Obesity Prevention Strategy (to be published by the Department of Health). 

Convening Lead(s): PHA

Strategic support: HISRG: BCC, BHC, BHSCT, NIHE, PHA, SPPG

Operational support: Active Belfast Partnership.

1. Develop a joined-up approach towards neighbourhood regeneration, connecting our people, places, and services at a local level through partnership, planning and delivery supported by strong and empowered communities and citizens

• Work together to design four place-based plans that maximise the potential of services, assets, and investments to make a difference in people’s lives
• Align with regional strategies and programmes to maximise benefits for communities
• Develop local interventions where there are opportunities to collaborate, improve outcomes and provide solutions to systematic local challenges
• Develop ways to build skills, knowledge and resources across all sectors and apply learning across the city

• Increase the amount of people who are satisfied with their neighbourhood as a place to live from 86 per cent to 90 per cent

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

• Co-design with community and statutory partners a framework to engage with communities to identify needs and priorities
• Develop ways to strengthen civic voice and citizen participation
• Deliver innovative funding models that enhances community participation and involvement

• Increase community participation and citizen involvement in local decision making
• Increase the amount of people who feel they can influence decisions that affect the local area from 44 per cent to 50 per cent

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

• Develop a strategic approach towards the development and management of neighbourhood assets and facilities including opportunities for community wealth building and asset transfers
• Work with partners to maximise the potential of the PeacePlus programme to enhance existing and provide new community assets.
• Take a joined-up approach towards physical investment so that assets are more accessible and benefit local people
• Enhance local tourism infrastructure and offering across the city

• Maximise community benefits associated with neighbourhood assets, services, and investments
• Deliver at least 3 community asset transfer projects
• Invest more than £5million PeacePlus capital investment in local assets and facilities.
• Increase the amount of people who feel they live in an area where people work together to improve things from 80 per cent to 85 per cent

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

• Develop targeted and joined up approaches to address food, fuel and transport poverty and their impact on low-income households
• Support grassroot, voluntary and community organisations to tackle poverty in local areas
• Develop a cost-of-living support and awareness campaign, identifying and signposting to available support services and advice

• Increase support to residents, especially the most vulnerable, to respond to the cost-of-living crisis
• Increase the percentage of residents accessing online cost-of-living support and advice

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

1. 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)

• Develop a ‘whole community approach’ towards the development of children and young people through collaborative school, family and community place-based partnerships across the city
• Work with existing school clusters across the city and create new clusters to provide opportunities for citywide and community collaboration, to develop a ‘whole community approach’

• Number of ‘whole community approaches’ reflected in strategic planning, to support the development of children and young people
• Number of children supported, including those with special educational needs (SEN)
• Number of schools and other partners, including communities involved in delivery

Convening Lead(s): Education Authority

Support: CCMS, Belfast Area Partnership Boards and locality-based community providers.

• Develop interventions that align with the Department of Education’s Reducing Educational Disadvantage Programme
• Implement a range of mechanisms to enable boys to maximise educational outcomes (in keeping with the Department of Education’s A Fair Start Report)
• Provide young people at risk of underachieving at level 2 (GCSE level) with support to remove barriers to learning
• Support young people leaving education or training to progress to a positive destination 

• Increase the percentage of school leavers progressing into positive destinations (such as employment or further and higher education) from a baseline of 95 per cent in 2021-2022 including those with SEN
• Reduce the gap between girls’ and boys’ attainment of 5+ GCSEs (A*-C) including equivalents including English & Maths from 4.1 ppts (2018-2019)
• Reduce the gap between FSME and non-FSME pupils’ attainment of 5+ GCSEs (A*-C) including equivalents including English and maths from a baseline of 35 per cent ppts (2018-2019)

Convening Lead(s): Education Authority

Support: Belfast Area Partnership Boards, Further and Higher Education partners, Belfast City Council

• Support children and young people who need additional support at key transition points in their educational journey, and ensure lessons learned are shared between and across schools and other partners including community providers.
• Support children and young people impacted by the pandemic through a combination of emotional health and wellbeing support and additional resources at home
• Co-design and deliver a digital inclusion pilot project that supports children and young people to overcome digital exclusion challenges.

• Number of children and young people supported at key transition points
• Number of children and young people supported
• Number of children and young people supported

Convening Lead(s): Belfast Area Partnership Boards, Neighbourhood Partnerships

Support: Education Authority, Belfast City Council

• Address severe-to-chronic pupil absence through a range of measures including engagement, wraparound and family-support

• Reduce the proportion of pupils with less than 85 per cent attendance from a baseline of 22 per cent in 2021-2022

Convening Lead(s): Education Authority

Support: CCMS

1. Create Inclusive pathways to good employment

• Deliver sector-specific employment and upskilling pathways to connect residents with new or better employment opportunities
• Create integrated provision in Belfast, ensuring support for residents to navigate the range of provision and make informed choices that best suits their needs
• Ensure inclusive, non-traditional pathways to jobs within growth sectors such as the green, digital and tech sectors
• Develop skills provision to address economic competitiveness and productivity challenges, aligning investment to meet key sectoral priorities and support new investment

• Cut the proportion of working-age population with no qualifications from 14 per cent to 12 per cent
• Reduce the working-age economic inactivity rate (excluding students) within the city from 23 per cent to 18 per cent
• Increase the employment rate for people with a disability from 37 per cent to 43 per cent
• Ensure the supply of those with vocationally relevant level 6+ (degree and higher) qualifications to meet requirements in the labour market

Convening Lead(s): Labour Market Partnership Group

Support: Belfast City Council, Delivery Partners, Further and Higher Education Sector, local training organisations and skills providers, Shared Prosperity Fund delivery agents

2. Improve the alignment of skills demand and supply to support sustainable business growth

3. Drive enhanced productivity and create better jobs through investment in innovation and skills

• Deliver innovation centres of excellence in Advanced Manufacturing, Virtual Production, Clinical & Connected Health, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics
• Complete and implement skills assessments for first phase of BRCD projects.

• Investment of more than £200 million of government and partner investment to drive innovation in key growth sectors within the city.

Convening Lead(s): Belfast Region City Deal

Support: Belfast Region City Deal Partners, Invest NI and Department for the Economy

1. Help grow local business by improving innovation, growth and survival rates, particularly in sectors aligned with the NI Executives vision for a 10 x Economy

• Develop a dynamic, responsive support system for entrepreneurs, social enterprises and small businesses to help them create jobs and improve turnover
• Support key growth sectors to attract further investment and create high value-added jobs
• Develop and deliver a targeted action plan to support the social economy sector
• Help businesses innovate and diversify to drive competitiveness and productivity

• Increase the number of new business start-ups from 1,435 per year to 1,800 by 2027
• Improve survival rates (that is, businesses surviving 3 years) of existing businesses from 61 per cent to 70 per cent by 2027
• Support 75 per cent of Belfast’s social enterprises to earn more than 75 per cent of their income from trading revenues by 2030.

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Invest NI; Social Enterprise NI; FE & HE Partners

2. Work together to support innovative businesses to grow and become more competitive through a relentless focus on innovation and external sales aligned with the vision for a 10x Economy

• Work in partnership, particularly through Innovate NI, to provide support to encourage businesses to innovate and embed an innovation focussed approach to business growth
• Work together to promote Invest NI’s range of export led interventions to identify, target and develop external opportunities for businesses in Belfast
• Work with FCA regulated Fund Managers to ensure the provision of a comprehensive suite of equity and debt finance solutions to support growth and accelerate business investment

• Encourage “first time innovation” through supporting 350 Belfast companies to complete the Innovation Recognition Assessment
• Refer 60 companies in Belfast to Invest NI support to “Sell outside NI for the First Time” in line with the emerging export forum for a 10x Economy
• Refer 100 Belfast companies to complete the “Go Further, Go Stronger Export Health Check”
• Secure £20m in Investment in Belfast through Invest NI’s loan and equity funds and Proof of Concept grant fund

Convening Lead(s): Invest NI

Support: Belfast City Council; Belfast Region City Deal; FE and HE Partners; Belfast Chamber; Catalyst; InterTradeIreland

3. Support digital transformation within the local economy

• Deliver the first phase of Belfast Region City Deal Innovation Challenge Funding
• Establish the Belfast Business Promise and engage anchor institutions and the private sector to sign up to embed its practices
• Adopt a social value procurement approach to supply chains
• Encourage Living Wage accreditation across community planning partners
• Support employers by providing flexible and seamless responses to employer requirements to recruit and train staff, supporting the aims of inclusive growth.

• Investment of £30 million of new innovation challenge funds across the Belfast Region to help tackle key economic, environmental and social challenges
• 50 organisations signed up as members to the Belfast Business Promise in its first year
• Reduce the number of jobs paying below the real living wage from 14.7 per cent to 10 per cent or less.
• Increase the number of organisations within the city accredited as ‘Real Living Wage’ employers by 10 per cent.

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Belfast Region City Deal Partners, Invest NI (Investment Decision Maker – Innovation and Digital) and Project Sponsors, Department for the Economy

1. Work together to increase housing supply across all tenures in the city council area

• Identify and assess a pipeline of housing and mixed-use development sites
• Identify and support the use of land, including land in public ownership to meet housing needs through the LDP

• Increase homes by 6,000 units across all tenures with a minimum of 20 per cent of residential developments to include affordable housing provision (social and intermediate) in line with new LDP Plan Strategy policy. 

Convening Lead(s): NI Housing Executive

Support: Belfast City Council, Department for Communities, Land and Property Service

• Maximise potential housing supply, including affordable housing provision, through appropriate land use zonings with key site requirements within the emerging LDP Local Policies Plan

• Draft Local Planning Policies progressing in accordance with the published LDP timetable

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: NI Housing Executive

2. Work together to increase the provision of social housing (including accessible properties) across the city council area. 

• Deliver the Social Housing Development Programme
• Identify and assess a pipeline of housing development sites, prioritising areas of acute housing need

• Start to build at least 400 social homes per year across council area (subject to NIHE budget and confirmation of housing need from NIHE)

Convening Lead(s): NI Housing Executive

Support: Department for Communities, Belfast City Council, Land and Property Service

3. Increase the city centre residential population

• Identify models to enable and deliver housing-led regeneration
• Engage with communities to support sustainable neighbourhoods
• Work with public and private developers to ensure that relevant visions and strategies (that is, LDP, Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy) are aligned and embedded in the design of schemes
• Work with statutory partners to create a city which welcomes and encourages shared spaces for all
• Work with partners to ensure there is adequate social infrastructure (such as shops, creches, GP surgeries) available for new and existing residents

• Support the delivery of four city centre residential developments

Convening Lead(s): Department for Communities, NI Housing Executive

Support: Belfast City Council

4. Adopt a placemaking approach to develop thriving and sustainable communities

• Establish agreed principles to identify and deliver placemaking projects across the city council area harnessing the policy approach set out in the LDP
• Map and identify potential placemaking projects with regeneration benefits that can enable and facilitate delivery of agreed outcomes of the Belfast Agenda (for example, addressing dereliction, embedding connectivity)
• Promote and develop partnership working across the public or private and community and voluntary sector to support access to local businesses, communities and relevant statutory agencies

• Complete and review of two placemaking pilot projects

Convening Lead(s): NI Housing Executive

Support: Belfast City Council, Department for Communities, Land and Property Service

5. Deliver a strategic shift towards the prevention of homelessness

• Deliver the NIHE’s Ending Homelessness Together – Homelessness Strategy 2022-2027

• As per annual progress report outlining delivery against actions

Convening Lead(s): NI Housing Executive

Support: relevant Community Planning partners (statutory and CVS)

6. Improve energy efficiency in social housing through retrofit

• Retrofit homes across Belfast through a jointly funded NIHE-ERDF programme

• Deliver 745 retrofit homes from a baseline of 606 completions

Convening Lead(s): NI Housing Executive

Support: Community Planning partners

1. Deliver the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan (BMTP) which will provide the strategic framework for bringing forward our climate commitments, supporting the integration of a prioritised and modernised public transport system and a network of walking and cycling routes.

• Completion of BMTP and progress of implementation

• BMTP completed by 2027 with the Belfast iteration completed in 2025

Convening Lead(s): Department for Infrastructure

Support: Community Planning Partners -

2. Deliver the second stage of the Belfast local Development Plan 2035 which supports an efficient integrated transport network offering travel choice that minimises congestion and pollution.

• Adoption of the Belfast Local Development Plan 2035; the plan will encourage 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

• In accordance with Monitoring Indicators (Appendix F of LDP) https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/getmedia/bba4bd89-157d-4209-8d5e-8a6eb58dd760/PS001-Plan-Strategy-Final-Web-May2023.pdf

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City council Planning Service

Support: Community Planning Partners

3. Support projects that encourage people to use forms of sustainable travel

• Improve public transport journey times and reliability through a prioritised public transport network

• Attain 35M passenger journeys on the Metro and Glider in Belfast by 2030
• Attain 70 public transport journeys per person per year by 2030
• Undertake quality improvements on Zero Emission and sustainable transport (ZEST) Corridors by 2027

Convening Lead(s): Translink

Support: Department for Infrastructure

• Implement Belfast Rapid Transit Phase 2

• Continue to develop the detailed designs and business case requirements to support the delivery of Belfast Rapid Transit Phase 2

Convening Lead(s): Department for Infrastructure

Support: Translink

• Progress the integrated, multi-modal Transport Hub (Weaver’s Cross)

• Completion in 2025

Convening Lead(s): Department for Infrastructure

Support: Translink

• Support development of the Belfast-Dublin Transport Corridor

• Promoting hourly frequency of rail services and < two-hour journey time between Belfast and Dublin

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council / Translink

Support: Community Planning Partners

• Expand the timetable with a greater service in the evenings and funding for the provision of night-time services

• Provision of night-time services secured

Convening Lead(s): Translink

Support: Community Planning Partners

4. Support behavioural change projects that replace car journeys with walking, wheeling and cycling

• Deliver enhanced cycling infrastructure across the city

• Meet the targets set out for Belfast in the BMTP
• Delivery of the Cycle Network in line with the Belfast Cycling Network delivery plan 2022-2031

Convening Lead(s): Department for Infrastructure

Support: Belfast City Council, Sustrans

• Progress the delivery of greenways in the city

• Develop greenway feasibility and identify potential routes

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: - Community Planning partners

• Develop initiatives to help alleviate transport poverty by encouraging active and sustainable travel

• Carry out a scoping study that identifies affordable and flexible cycle hire
• Better promotion of inclusive sustainable and active transport options
• Extend the cycle docking station network across the city.
• Increase the number of ‘Belfast Bikes’ available throughout the city

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council, Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Panel

Support: Sustrans, Translink, private sector

• Codesign place-based active travel initiatives to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling

• Develop and implement two exemplar initiatives in line with the BMTP

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Sustrans, Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Panel, QUB, Public Health Agency

• Secure funding for the delivery of Active Travel Hubs across the city

• Funding secured and hubs activated

Convening Lead(s): Sustrans

Support: Belfast City Council

• Support health and well-being outcomes for active travel

• Delivery of updated Public Health Agency active travel programme
• Delivery of schools’ education programme on safe, cycling, walking and wheeling.
• Increase the number of public cycling workshops

Convening Lead(s): Public Health Agency

Support: Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Panel, Sustrans, Belfast Healthy Cities, Education Authority, Belfast City Council

• Identify gaps in data about walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport and explore the potential for real-time data capture

• Gap analysis undertaken

Convening Lead(s): Sustrans

Support: Belfast City Council

1. Transform the city centre into a dynamic, vibrant and experiential destination, whilst sustaining its current distinctive offering

• The Belfast Local Development Plan will support opportunities to promote the continued regeneration of the city centre to attract inward investment and encourage a more diverse economy that will contribute to an enhancement in liveability and quality of space
• Deliver and implement key interventions identified within the Action Plan associated with A Bolder Vision (ABV) Strategy to contribute towards realising the four Key Moves:

1. Create a Civic Spine
2. Reimagine the Inner Ring Road and end car dominance
3.  Promote City Centre Living
4. Embrace the River Lagan and Waterfront)

• As per Monitoring Indicators (Appendix F of LDP) https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/getmedia/bba4bd89-157d-4209-8d5e-8a6eb58dd760/PS001-Plan-Strategy-Final-Web-May2023.pdf
• Agreed delivery mechanism and commitment for the delivery of up to £50m of ABV projects subject to availability of funding

Convening Lead(s):Belfast City Council

Support: Community Planning Partners

Convening Lead(s): Department for Infrastructure, Department for Communities, Belfast City Council

Support: Community Planning Partners

• Bring forward a programme of interventions aimed at addressing vacancy, urban decay, the Night-time Economy, open and green spaces, together with a cross sector approach to the promotion and branding of the city centre as a unique destination to live, work and visit

• Increase footfall by 20 per cent within the Primary Retail Core
• Reduce the number of vacant units within the city centre by 5 per cent (from a baseline of 23.41 per cent in 2021)
• 90 per cent of residents feel the city centre is vibrant and attractive, with lots going on (baseline 76 per cent in 2023)

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council, Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Belfast Improvement Districts, Belfast Harbour Commission

Support: - Visit Belfast, Tourism NI, Department for Communities, Department for Infrastructure, Translink

• Bring forward a programme of interventions aimed at facilitating a clean, green, inclusive and safe city centre

• Increase levels of those who feel safe in the city centre during the day to 90 per cent (baseline 86 per cent in 2023)
• **additional or alternative measures currently being considered through Multi Agency Group

Convening Lead(s): Multi Agency Group

Support: Community Planning Partners

2. Support the delivery of a placemaking approach to the physical and cultural regeneration of the city

• The Belfast LDP will help to shape the regeneration of the city, helping to develop a vibrant, attractive, connected and sustainable city, build investor confidence and attract new investment
• Develop a proposal for an investment fund to support the positive development of the city
• Identify barriers to the delivery of major physical regeneration schemes and put in mitigations to overcome
• Continue developing a balanced approach to student housing to ensure development is located in suitable locations and associated benefits are maximised
• Develop a way to measure the regeneration potential of large physical and cultural projects including their economic, social and environmental impact
• Develop a targeted approach to vacancy and dereliction across the city

• 30 physical developments completed and under construction (including 2 major city centre schemes)
• The development of 550,000 sq metres of employment land by 2035

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Community Planning Partners

• Deliver the Belfast 2024 cultural programme
• Deliver Belfast’s cultural strategy “A City Imagining” www.belfastcity.gov.uk/culturestrategy

• Increase the percentage of residents satisfied with city living (current baseline 86 per cent)

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Cultural Sector

• Invest £100m in the Belfast Stories flagship visitor attraction in the city centre

• Construction to have commenced

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: - Community Planning Partners

3. Attract more visitors who stay longer and spend more in local economy.

• Deliver Belfast’s tourism strategy, “Make Yourself at Home” (www.belfastcity.gov.uk/documents/make-yourself-at-home-planning-for-the-future-of-t)

• Increase the value of tourism in Belfast from £417 million in 2019 to £800 million in 2030

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Visit Belfast, Tourism NI

4. Promote and position the city to compete globally to attract inclusive and sustainable investment

• Promote a joint public–private sector partnership to attract inclusive investment
• Fully adopt the LDP to guide future investment and development decisions to enable the sustainable spatial growth of the city up to 2035
• Promote the city’s regeneration investment opportunities
• Establish Belfast as a destination for innovation
• Develop a major innovation district, SMART district and SMART port
• Deliver a city-centre world-class Smart District and Testbed programme to include investment in a range of innovation programmes
• Deliver a citizen capacity-building programme to support involvement in innovation programmes

•  Deliver city data architecture to support collaborative innovation on a worldwide scale

• Attract a long-term investment commitment to realise £290m GDV

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council,

Support: Invest NI, Universities, Development Community

1. Increase the number of trees across the city

• Deliver Phase 1 of the Belfast One Million Trees project
• Secure additional funding to continue Phase 2 of the Belfast One Million Trees project
• Improve maintenance of existing woodland, urban tree and street trees

• Reduce carbon emissions by 66 per cent (on 2000 levels) by 2025
• Plant 150,000 trees
• Secure funding for Phase 2
• Increase tree planting across the city

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council coordinating
• Support: multi sectoral partnership – the Belfast One Million Trees Steering Group, voluntary and community sector

2. Develop a demonstrator site in Botanic Gardens to test nature-based solutions through the UPSURGE project strengthen climate resilience.

• Develop research plots with different vegetable types
• Install sensor-based technologies to measure environmental parameters
• Install beehives and measure pollen contaminates and biodiversity
• Develop community gardens on the site
• Delivery of a codesigned research, learning and net zero hub at Botanic Gardens focused on nature-based solutions to address issues affecting Belfast such as heat, air quality and soil health up to 2025

• Communicate learning on how adaptive practices and management of green spaces in the city can support pollution alleviation, citizen health and climate resilience

• Convening Lead(s): H2020 UPSURGE partnership led by QUB and BCC
• Support: Community Planning Partnership.

3. Promote the uptake of nature-based solutions across the city to support climate resilience

• Incorporate climate adaptation actions into strategic plans and urban agendas
• Build adaptive capacity to deliver nature-based solutions including green roofs, wetlands, sustainable urban drainage systems to improve climate resilience, air and water quality and reduce flooding.
• Undertake scoping work for a city-wide regeneration programme to replace impermeable surfaces with green infrastructure, contributing to biodiversity and civic amenity
• Identify and target funding opportunities to scale up nature-based solutions

• Protect an additional 1,770 homes and businesses from flood risk
• Develop a green regeneration programme
• Facilitate people and communities across different sectors, locations and demographics to contribute and build capacity 
• Increase resilience of communities vulnerable to climate change through improved access to green space in parks, gardens, greenways, streets and other green spaces
• Secure funding and develop capacity for establishing and maintaining nature-based solutions

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Councilvia the Belfast Resilience and Sustainability Board
• Support: Belfast Climate Commission, partners in government and in local institutions and communities

• Coordinate the Belfast Sustainable Food Partnership
• Create and deliver the Belfast Sustainable Food Place
• Seek reaccreditation as a Sustainable Food City (targeting Silver)
• Support community-based approaches to sustainable food in Belfast  
• Develop a Belfast Sustainable Food Strategy, with associated delivery and monitoring arrangements

• Establish a diverse, robust, and sustainable cross-sector food partnership with a long-term food strategy Develop a range of local policies and food access initiatives to effectively promote access to sustainable and healthy food for all
• Establish a diverse and connected local good food movement with sustainable food enterprises, backed by local catering and procurement practices
• Develop systemic responses to address the negative climate and nature impacts of the local food system

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council
• Support: multi sectoral Belfast Sustainable Food Partnership

1. Enable the city to decarbonise at scale

• Develop a Belfast Local Area Energy Plan
• Develop a pipeline of investable local energy projects arising from the Local Area Energy Plan
• Accelerate project development, including concept development, feasibility studies and business cases
• Identify and respond to emerging funding opportunities and secure funding for projects
• Develop appropriate governance and delivery structures for projects as they emerge
• Engage with investors and financial institutions to explore new financial models

• Develop a pipeline of net zero projects up to the value of £1.6bn 
• Protect at least 1,770 additional homes and businesses from flood risk
• At least 2 projects arising from Belfast Local Area Energy Plan in implementation phase
• Adopt new financial models to scale decarbonisation investments
• Develop a Phase 2 bid to the Shared Island Fund to scale solar PV across the city in partnership with Cork City Council

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council, Belfast Resilience and Sustainability Board
• Support: Belfast Climate Commission Cork City Council, Belfast Harbour Commission, Titanic Quarter

2. Promote sustainable circular economy approaches

• Deliver the Shared Island funded Circular Economy Feasibility and Business Case in partnership with Dublin City Council
• Deliver the Horizon Europe funded UP2030 project which aims to embed net zero in urban planning
• Reduce the carbon / environmental impact of municipal waste

• Complete feasibility study and business case by September 2023
• Produce a stakeholder engagement process and net zero plan focused on net zero for the Linen quarter BID, Sandy Row, Market, Donegall Pass and Barrack Street areas
• Textile, food and plastic waste reduced

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council, Belfast Resilience and Sustainability Board
• Support: Belfast Climate Commission, Horizon Europe,  UP2030 Project Steering Group led by BCC

3. Promote a Just Transition to Net Zero in Belfast

• Anticipate, assess and address the social risks of the transition (eg employment shifts, impact on supply chains etc.)
• Identify and enable the social opportunities and co-benefits of the transition (for example community and cooperative energy options, good relations impacts, reducing energy poverty, improved air quality etc.)
• Ensure meaningful dialogue, co-creation and participation in net zero planning through community planning structures and involvement of key community, business and other statutory partners

• Integrate just transition factors into the goals, ambitions and foundations of all our net zero transition plans
• Assess social implications (costs/risks and benefits/opportunities) of net zero plans and tailor just transition responses to sector and geographical priorities
• Engage at least 500 stakeholders per year

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council, Belfast Resilience and Sustainability Board
• Support: Belfast Climate Commission, local anchor institutions, civil society organisations and communities

4. Increase the use of Electric Vehicles in Belfast and improve access to charge points

• Develop and adopt the Belfast EV Strategy and its targets for the period to 2027 and beyond
• Establish a Belfast EV group which oversees implementation of the EV Strategy

• Deliver the Belfast EV Strategy and implementation plan in 2023
• Support the installation of at least 800 electric vehicle charging devices for public use by 2027
• Secure funding for public EV charging infrastructure

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council
• Support: multi sectoral partnership through the Belfast EV group

5. Reduce energy consumption (and bills) of housing and public /commercial buildings

• Accelerate the retrofit of buildings including commercial and public buildings, and domestic housing through the Belfast Retrofit Hub
• Start delivering the Belfast Retrofit Programme

• Develop and implement the Belfast Retrofit Programme including neighbourhood pathfinder projects through the Belfast Retrofit Delivery Hub 
• Deliver energy savings of at least 15 per cent from participating buildings

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council coordinating, via the Belfast Resilience and Sustainability Board
• Support: Belfast Climate Commission, a multi sectoral partnership through the Belfast Retrofit Hub

6. Decarbonise the heat supply to buildings in the city

• Undertake preliminary work for a Heat Network for Belfast City Centre
• Provide energy sector expertise to community-based organisations which are developing local energy projects.
•  Scope, benchmark, aggregate and upscale feasible local energy projects as part of a project pipeline across the City.

• Develop a full business case for a Heat Network for Belfast City Centre
• Develop at least two local energy projects (compliant with all current and future energy and carbon regulatory obligations and aligned with international best practice)

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast Resilience and Sustainability Board.
• Support: Belfast Climate Commission

1. Create an exemplar net zero zone in Titanic Quarter to develop and demonstrate decarbonisation

• Develop a shared vision and a compelling place-based narrative to attract investors
• Leverage on anchor institutions (private and public) to create a dynamic partnership ecosystem

• Secure resources and funding to create the Net Zero Park by 2024

• Convening Leaders: Belfast Harbour, Belfast City Council
• Support: QUB, UU, Belfast Met, InvestNI

2. Develop a stable supply of green energy to the Net Zero Park and surrounding lands to support the industrial cluster

• Develop affordable sustainable energy supply
• Create a testbed for multiple green fuels
• Establish a local hydrogen plant

• Access strategic growth capital via BCC and industry consortium bids for green projects and infrastructure
• Implement one green energy project in Titanic Quarter

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council
• Support: QUB, UU, Belfast Met, InvestNI with industrial cluster on harbour estate

3. Accelerate the transition to low carbon manufacturing

• Support industries to measure and manage their carbon footprints
• Use smart design & digital twin assets to accelerate innovation, test new business models and enhance supply chain resilience
• High value (lightweight, composite)

• Formation of carbon accounting experts in scope 3 GHG emissions
• Establishment of collaborative industry and academic consortium delivering green design and accounting of new products

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council
• Support: QUB, UU, Belfast Met, Digital Catapult, NIACE with industrial cluster to include supply chain

4. Support Green Multi-Modal Mobility

• Create a living lab across Harbour estate to test new low carbon transport solutions
• Support low carbon innovation in advanced air, maritime & road transport
• Establish partnerships with maritime districts

• Successful delivery of Project Harlander
• Operation of commuter e ferry with associated infrastructure

• Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council
• Support: QUB, UU, Belfast Met with industrial cluster on harbour estate

Embed more inclusive practices across the city, supporting organisations to use their powers as employers, procurers, investors and community members to enable those at risk of economic exclusion to participate in the city’s social and economic opportunities

• Develop and deliver an inclusive growth toolkit to support organisations to:
  • adopt more inclusive practices, such as the Belfast Business Promise, social value procurement, etc, and
  • remove barriers, where possible, to enable those most at risk of economic exclusion to access opportunities
• Adopt the Local Development Plan to provide a planning policy framework to address social inequality throughout the city and build community cohesion and resilience through collaborative effort to ensure inclusive growth for all.
• Develop an inclusive growth index to track our progress as a city
• Develop Belfast as a JAM (Just a Minute) friendly city.

• Increase the proportion of people who agree that everyone benefits from a thriving and prosperous city from 50 per cent to 70+ per cent
• Community Planning Partners adopt the Inclusive Growth Toolkit and practices

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Community Planning Partners (TBC)

Develop strategic and co-ordinated approaches to address the adverse impacts of poverty and support those most in need

• Work with central government to accelerate the NI Anti-Poverty Strategy.

• Support the establishment of a Belfast Poverty Commission to understand the lived experience and tackle the stigma of poverty
• Develop and deliver a largescale programme to alleviate the impact of food poverty in city.
• Support those most in need and identified as vulnerable to living in cold homes by:

• Continuing to support the delivery and scaling up of the Belfast Warm and Well initiative; and
• Developing and delivering a largescale ‘Warm Homes’ programme to reduce the impact of fuel poverty

• Reduce the proportion of people living in relative poverty from 18 per cent (before housing costs).
• Reduce the number of children (under 16 years) growing up in poverty by at least 3,000 (from 22.4 per cent to 18 per cent)

Convening Lead(s): Community Planning Partners

Expand our efforts to build community wealth, which seeks to redirect and retain wealth back into local communities and the local economy, and place greater control and benefits with local people.

• Work with key organisations and employers to explore how we can grow community and local wealth, for example, through our procurement and commissioning activity.

• Revitalised Belfast Anchors Network to progress procurement and commissioning activity
• Increase the percentage of ‘anchor institutions’ procurement spend in the local Belfast economy (Baseline to be set)

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Community Planning Partners

Develop Belfast’s status as a learning city through fostering a culture of lifelong learning which allows everyone to fulfil their potential.

• Participate in the Irish Network of Learning Cities
• Deliver an annual Festival of Learning in Belfast
• Work collaboratively with key learning institutions to attract and retain talent in Belfast
• Explore the potential to work with Belfast UNESCO City of Music to consolidate linkages between learning and music
• Align with actions under the Community and Neighbourhood Regeneration Priority to ensure that integrated area-based plans, and actions to create strong communities and tackle poverty and hardship have a learning focus.
• Work with key partners and schools to explore options to develop a Belfast ‘model’ to support digital inclusion and innovation
• Support digital literacy and empower people to embrace self-directed learning for life through the use of technology

NB. Currently under development

• Increase the proportion of Belfast citizens who agree that everyone fulfils their potential from 54 per cent to 62 per cent
• 10 schools participating in a pilot programme for the Net-Zero Tech Park
• Increase the percentage of residents who feel comfortable using digital services, for example to access services or online banking (baseline: 2023 Belfast residents survey)

Convening Lead(s): Community Planning Partners

Understand and address inequalities and support the inclusion and integration of all communities including minority ethnic communities

• Develop an inclusive Belfast Intervention Plan to support the inclusion and integration of all communities including ethnic minority ethnic communities, some examples include the development and delivery of a racial equality, shared education and cultural inclusion programmes and activities.

• Increase the proportion of people who agree that Belfast is a welcoming, safe, fair and inclusive city for all from 81 per cent to 85 per cent.

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Shared City Partnership

Enhance good relations across the city and deliver joined-up and innovative approaches to the new Peace Plus programme

• Co-design and implement the Local Community PeacePlus Action Plan across the theme of building peaceful and thriving communities.

• Increase the proportion of people who agree that, in their local area, people from different backgrounds (religious and political) get on well together from 61 per cent to 70 per cent+. 
• Increase the proportion of people who report that, in their local areas, people from different ethnic backgrounds get on well together from 62 per cent to 70 per cent+.

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Shared City Partnership

Ensure Belfast is an Age Friendly City by meeting the needs of older people and maximising the benefits from their lived experiences. 

• Enhance and deliver the Age Friendly Belfast Plan (2023 – 27).  Some key deliverables include:
  • Develop age friendly design principles to help inform new infrastructure developments
  • Review and improve access to seating provision, by delivering ‘take a seat’ pilots in the city.
  • Improve social connections by developing local and city centre connection hubs.
  • Develop dementia carers cafes in all four dementia friendly neighbourhoods.
  • Re-engage and recruit new older people volunteers.
  • Celebrate our volunteers through an annual older volunteer awards programme.
  • Provide access to employment support and employment for those aged 50+
  • Support the wider policy level work on food and fuel poverty for example, food waste cookery sessions, fuel stamps, foodbanks and social supermarkets. 

• Reduce the per cent of older people who feel lonely from 26.8 per cent to 25 per cent.

Convening Lead(s): Chair of the Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership.

Support: HASP Group (Age NI, The Alzheimer’s Society, BCC, BH&SCT, Belfast Healthy Cities, Dementia NI, DfC, DfI, Engage with Age, Greater Belfast Seniors Forum, North Belfast Senior Citizens Forum, NIHE, PHA, Volunteer Now)

Support our older people to live healthy and socially connected lives with a focus on those most in need

• Gather data and develop an evidence base to agree actions for older people most in need
• Develop and deliver targeted interventions for older people who are most in need to improve their physical activity levels and connectivity
• Promote key messages and connect programmes for older people to increase their strength and mobility, including the prevention of falls.

• Support 600 – 800 older people (who are most in need) to:
  • Improve their activity levels
  • Feel more connected and less lonely
  • Improve mobility levels and reduce functional limitations*

*Performance measures to be further developed

Convening Lead(s): BH&SCT

Support: BCC, BH&SCT, PHA, UUJ, VCSE Panel.

1. Ensure every child is seamlessly supported through their early years (children aged 8 and under) to realise their potential to develop and thrive.

• Design a seamless developmental pathway for children and create a joint resourced delivery model.
• Design and deliver demonstrator actions (based on evidence, need and locality) to test and support the adoption and roll out of the pathway concept and joint service delivery model.
• Establish a Children’s City Champion group (at senior leadership level) to ensure that cross-cutting initiatives for example, anti-poverty and educational disadvantage, are child centred and aligned to the ambitions of the Belfast Agenda. 

• Develop a clear, seamless and resourced pathway for children in their early years (aged 8 and under)

Convening Lead(s): BH&SCT, BCC.

Support: Belfast Area Outcomes Group (BAOG)

2. Increase the participation, empowerment and resilience of children and young people

• Identify better ways to listen to children and young people and involve them in future plans and decisions:
• Enable to voice of Children and Young People to be heard and involved through forums, including:
  • Increase opportunities for Children and Young People for a to work together on issues of common interest.
• Develop and test new models of engaging with C&YP about issues of concern or relevance to them
• Explore potential to create and support development pathways for those C&YP who want to continue being advocates
• Increase opportunities for intergenerational engagement and involvement
• Ensure the needs of C&YP are considered and reflected in relevant themes/actions within the Belfast Agenda

• Increase the no. of opportunities for enhanced collaboration and coordination amongst youth engagement fora to inform and influence community planning in Belfast. 
• Increase the per cent of young people who agree they are able to have a say on how services are run, what the priorities are or where investment is needed from 32.6 per cent to 45 per cent.

Convening Lead(s): Belfast City Council

Support: Community Planning Partners