Anger at bias in Belfast city centre transformation
Sinn Féin West Belfast Assembly candidate and party housing spokesperson, Cllr
Fra McCann has accused the Department of Social Development of bias against
West Belfast after it emerged that key areas that link the city centre to
West Belfast have either been ignored or dropped in the later stages of
plans to transform Belfast City Centre.
Cllr McCann said:
"It
is clear that the department is ignoring the urgent need to regenerate
the
areas that link the city centre to West Belfast. In some cases key roads
such
as King Street have been totally ignored and in other cases roads such
as
Castle Street and Queens Street have been dropped into the later stages.
Yet
it is these areas that are in the most urgent need of regeneration.
"Traders
in the area that links West Belfast to the city centre are furious
at
this apparent bias.
"My concern is that this is part of a wider
approach of DSD and other
departments to the regeneration of the city
centre and smacks of obvious
departmental neglect. We are witnessing a
determined focus to push the city
centre eastwards and away from areas
that suffer some of the worst levels of
social deprivation in this city.
"This
is an area that DSD readily admits contains high levels of dereliction
that
is a barrier to economic development. Yet government policies are
failing
to support the transformation of this key gateway into the city
centre."
ENDS
Note to Editors
The Phase One project area
includes: Ann Street, Castle Lane, Corn Market,
Arthur Street,
Callender Street and Arthur Place
Only after work has started on
these areas will work begin on: Castle Place,
Donegall Place, Castle
Street, Fountain Street, College Street, Fountain
Lane and Queen Street