CITY CENTRE REGENERATION STRATEGY AND INVESTMENT PLAN QUESTIONNAIRE

Transcription

1 CITY CENTRE REGENERATION STRATEGY AND INVESTMENT PLAN QUESTIONNAIRE Q1 Principle of preparing a Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan a) Please indicate below if you support the principle of preparing a Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan for Belfast city centre. agree Neither agree or Fully b) Do you have any comments on the principle of preparing a Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan for Belfast city centre? We support the development of the Belfast City Centre Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan and welcome the opportunity to comment on the Draft Strategy. Q2 Policies identified for the city centre (see pages 34-49) a) Please indicate below if you agree with the eight policies identified. Increase the employment population agree Neither agree or Fully Increase the residential population Manage the retail offer Maximise the tourism opportunity Create the region s learning and innovation centre Create a green, walkable and cyclable centre Connect to the city

2 around Shared space b) Do you have any comments about any of our eight policy areas? The links between the environment (including the flow of ecosystem services to society) and the health and wellbeing of populations are well established and should be demonstrated in the Plan/Strategy. Obesity levels are increasing, placing the health service under huge financial pressure. The Transforming Your Care report (DHSSPS) estimates that loss to the local economy as a result of obesity is estimated at 500m, with 59% of the population being overweight or obese. Indeed, active travel, such as walking and cycling can help address this health issue by increasing fitness, reducing obesity and mitigating against a range of other physical and mental health problems including heart disease, diabetes and depression. A shift towards active travel can deliver associated benefits for the environment, air quality and climate change mitigation. The frequent reference to green space in the draft strategy demonstrates clear recognition of the need to considerably enhance the availability and accessibility of green space in the city centre. The concept of ecosystem services (the goods and services that flow to society from healthy, functioning, ecosystems) is very important in an urban context. In an urban setting, this is perhaps better conceptualised as green infrastructure - a network of green and blue space within the urban envelope that provides solutions to urban and climatic challenges through nature (the role that water, soil and vegetation play in the delivery of ecosystem services to urban society). Greening of the city centre is a key mechanism for encouraging healthier everyday lifestyles amongst city centre users, such as employees, commuters or shoppers. Green infrastructure networks in towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland brings not only the obvious benefits (for example, physical and mental health, reduction in transport GHG emissions) but also wider societal gains, such as flood alleviation and environmental/potentially economic benefits from increased carbon sequestration and storage in the urban envelope. The ecosystem services delivered in urban areas are largely invisible and often undervalued and under-protected. Cities depend on ecosystems and their components to sustain long-term conditions for life, health and wellbeing. The table below summarises the important role of urban ecosystem services in providing urban populations with a rich spectrum of benefits. Table 2: Important ecosystem services in urban areas and underlying functions / components (adapted from Gomez-Baggethun & Barton ). Functions and components Ecosystem services Examples Energy conversion into edible Food supply Vegetables produced by urbane plants through photosynthesis Percolation and regulation of runoff and river discharge Photosynthesis, shading, and evapotranspiration Water flow regulation and runoff mitigation Urban temperature regulation allotments and peri-urban areas Soil and vegetation percolate water during heavy and/or prolonged precipitation events Trees and other urban vegetation provide shade, create humidity and 1 Gomez-Baggenthun, E., Barton, D. N Classifying and valuing ecosystem services for urban planning. Ecological Economics 86:

3 Absorption of sound waves by vegetation and water Physical barrier and absorption on kinetic energy Removal or breakdown of xenic nutrients Carbon sequestration and fixation in photosynthesis Movement of floral gametes by biota Ecosystems with recreational and educational values Habitat provision for animal Species block wind Noise reduction Absorption of sound waves by vegetation barriers, specially thick vegetation Moderation of Storm, floods, and wave environmental extremes buffering by vegetation barriers; heat absorption during severe heat waves Waste treatment Effluent filtering and nutrient fixation by urban wetlands Climate regulation Carbon sequestration and storage by the biomass of urban shrubs and trees Pollination and seed dispersal Recreation and cognitive development Animal sighting Urban ecosystem provide habitat for birds, insects, and pollinators Urban parks provide multiple opportunities for recreation, meditation, and pedagogy Urban green space provide habitat for birds and other animals Enhancing the public realm in urban areas has been shown to have a positive economic impact as well as providing benefits in terms of social cohesion and inclusion, with an associated reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour. Well designed and maintained shared public spaces can bring communities together, provide meeting places, and foster community building. We recommend that the term green infrastructure is used in the strategy and is promoted as a key mechanism for achieving multiple policy objectives. Urban planting should be emphasised in the strategy as an important feature of the city centre realm. Trees can help alleviate many of the adverse effects of urbanisation through better storm-water management, urban cooling, microclimate control, air-quality improvement, visual amenity and carbon sequestration. Urban planting also contributes to more attractive urban settings which can boost inward investment and contribute to a more vibrant city centre. The strategy should recognise and promote green roofs and walls. A green wall has been successful incorporated in the design of the new Skainos Centre in East Belfast 2. Consideration should be given to developing a green infrastructure action plan to facilitate greening of the city. Given the abundance of surface car parking in Belfast and the need to encourage sustainable transport solutions we support alternative uses for surface car parks as endorsed in the draft strategy. The strategy also notes the lack of green space in certain parts of the city. Therefore, whilst recognising the challenge of overcoming high real estate values in the city centre, consideration should be given to transforming some surface car parking into an urban park or green oasis. Lessons from successful cities show that compact urban areas can have a positive impact on human health and safety. Dense cities such as Amsterdam, New York, and Copenhagen offer residents more opportunities to cycle or walk 3. A recent study has shown that every time Copenhagen invests in a new cycle track, it results in a 10% reduction in cars 4. Belfast has a widely acknowledged problem of car dependency which

4 creates a plethora of social, economic and health problems (air pollution, physical inactivity, highly divisive road networks, significant financial outlay for drivers). It is vital therefore that the city centre is designed in a way that encourages and prioritises active travel and mixed use development which is conducive to inner city living. The strategy should recognise the principles included in the Draft Bicycle Strategy for Northern Ireland in order to realise the social and economic benefits that cycling can bring to Northern Ireland. We welcome the commitment to convert or reuse buildings of historic heritage importance. Without old buildings and historic fabric, cities lose their distinctiveness and hence their competitive advantage. The sympathetic conversion of these buildings is essential to their continued use and long-term protection. Creativity and investment is required to unlock this existing potential. The protection of historic fabric is not something that should restrain economic activity. Rather, as the HLF report Investing in Success 5 demonstrates, the contribution of heritage to the economy is (and should be) significant. Q3 Places identified in the city centre (see pages 50-65) a) Do you have any comments on the places identified in the city centre? Q4 Our actions (see pages 50-72) a) Please indicate below if you support our improvement actions for the projects and places in the city centre. agree Neither agree or Fully b) Do you have any comments or suggestions about any of our improvement actions for the projects and places in the city centre? We would emphasise the role of the community and voluntary sector in delivering projects and other initiatives on the ground. The NIEA NGO Challenge Fund, which is administered by Northern Ireland Environment Link, illustrates the multiple benefits that can be derived from community led environmental projects within urban areas. For example, through the West Belfast Alleyways Project, local residents transformed their alleyways into attractive, safe and environmental friendly spaces for the local community. Even at a relatively small-scale, it demonstrates how urban biodiversity projects can be powerful in terms of delivering physical transformation, promoting nature, creating healthier urban spaces, building 5 Investing in Success: Heritage and the UK tourism economy. Heritage Lottery Fund report, 2010.

5 community capacity and empowerment and encouraging physical activity. Q5 Special action areas (pages 78-84) c) Do you have any comments or suggestions about our improvement actions for the Special action areas? Q6 General comments a) Please use the space below to add any other comments, including any comments on Project delivery (see Appendix, page 85). As recognised in the draft strategy, Belfast city centre is the face of the region to the world. Therefore, as well as demonstrating the economic and social transformation of Northern Ireland, the city centre should lead the way in delivering the government s commitment to sustainable development. A truly sustainable, healthier and clean city centre can become an exemplar of best practice in urban planning for the rest of Northern Ireland. While the city centre is critically important from a regional perspective, it should deliver for local communities living within and immediately adjacent to the centre. Community and voluntary groups should play an active role in shaping the overall vision, as well as the site specific proposals and recommendations contained in the strategy. Meanwhile, in order to contribute to a fairer and more equitable society it is essential that community/public benefit is derived from major city centre developments.