Stalled plans to pedestrianise Belfast street ‘hugely disappointing’

A decision to delay the pedestrianisation of a street in Belfast’s popular Cathedral Quarter has been slammed as “hugely disappointing.”

A busy thoroughfare for thousands of pedestrians visiting bars and restaurants in the city centre, Hill Street was briefly pedestrianised in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic in an effort to encourage more walking and cycling - but there had been complaints at the time the ban on vehicles was not being enforced.

The Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd has now confirmed that efforts to pedestrianise Hill Street/Gordon Street have been “temporarily put on hold.”

In March, he had previously suggested only allowing service vehicles into the street under a one-way system.

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Answering a written question from DUP MLA Phillip Brett, Mr O’Dowd said his officials were busy with “several competing work priorities,” but that work would resume “as soon as resources are available.”

He also confirmed there had been no recent capital expenditure on the project and that staffing costs were not recorded.

Mr Brett commented: “Hugely disappointing that the Department for Infrastructure have put on hold the pedestrianisation of Hill Street. Four years of consultation and delay, with absolutely zero progress. Time to get this scheme delivered.”

The BBC also report that Damien Corr, manager of the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District, called the news a “missed opportunity.”

“It was nearly a done deal. We can’t see how there was much more left to do,” he said.

“We can’t see what the cost of this is. It’s not as if we have to dig the road up.

“We have offered to help in any way we can, and we have invited the minister down to the site.”