Belfast’s urban waterfront is 10kms of accessible connected waterfront spanning from Sailortown to the old Lock House on the west, Ormeau Park to Thompson Dock on the east of the River Lagan. It is a critical component of the city’s economic growth ambition and has the potential to be a vibrant corridor linking to and with key destinations, neighbourhood communities and to the city centre.
In December 2023, Maritime Belfast Trust published and launched the Belfast Waterfront Promenade Framework after 12 months of public and stakeholder engagement involving over 1,000 individual / organisation responses. The Framework was endorsed by all of the member organisations making up the Waterfront Task Group, namely Belfast City Council, Belfast Harbour, Titanic Quarter Limited, Department for Communities, Department for Infrastructure, Department for Economy, Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Tourism NI, Odyssey Trust, Sailortown Regeneration, EastSide Partnership and Shaftsbury Community Recreation Centre (LORAG).
‘’To create a world class waterfront by balancing communities, nature and development’’
The Belfast Waterfront is a critical component of the city’s economic growth ambitions, and the promenade project will bring it to life.
The Waterfront Promenade project is an important opportunity to encourage and harmonise new sustainable development on the waterfront. The promenade will create a high-quality environment for existing communities, new residential and commercial development, and will serve as a major visitor gateway.
Exploring the promenade will offer connections to iconic tourist attractions and heritage assets. Simultaneously, the promenade will become a hub of distinctive and vibrant cultural activities, attracting a dynamic setting for creative and green enterprise. Development of the promenade sparks a point of momentum for net-zero and blue economies to emerge, adding employment and training opportunities that will have a genuinely positive impact on the lives of those living or working adjacent to it. The envisioned waterfront promenade will offer safe and green public spaces to socialise,
The Waterfront Promenade Framework sets out a vision for a connected promenade on both sides of the river, and aims to achieve greater usage by local residents and visitors alike. This website contains practical design guidance, including a toolkit of design interventions, and is supported by best practice examples. We hope this framework will inspire future projects and contribute to the creation of a world class, connected waterfront for Belfast and its people.
