The Minister announced that she has commissioned a masterplan to look at the regeneration needs of the South West Shopping Quarter including the important Castle Street route. She also said that a regeneration programme - reSTORE DC - which she had seen during her recent visit to Washington will be piloted in the Castle Street area.
“The reSTORE DC programme has been very successful in regenerating areas of Washington and I have asked my officials to develop a Northern Ireland version which will be piloted in Castle Street and other selected urban centres across Northern Ireland. This is a very exciting programme which with the aid of targeted technical and funding assistance, aims to revitalise neighbourhood commercial districts and small businesses.
Ms Ritchie said: “Castle Street is not only an important shopping area but a key route which many people from west Belfast use daily to visit the city centre. We have made great strides in regenerating the city centre – Victoria Square is on course to open in March 2008 and DSD’s masterplans for the North West and North East Shopping Quarters are in place - and I want to ensure that this important area is not left behind.
“The masterplanning exercise is an important stage in this process and will take forward our approach to the regeneration of the South West Quarter as set out in the DSD Regeneration Policy Statement published in 2004. It also builds on the £16Million investment in improving the streetscape in the area which I launched in June under the “Belfast: Streets Ahead” programme.
“It will be an important step in identifying the full regeneration potential of this area which was so important in the early growth of Belfast and will provide a basis on which my Department can use its regeneration powers, if necessary, to ensure realisation of this potential.”
The Minister said that the consultants who will carry out the masterplanning will be appointed during September 2007 and it is hoped to produce a draft for public consultation by March 2008. The consultants will seek the views of statutory and private sector interests, particularly those who trade or have land holdings in the area. Residents including those who live in adjacent neighbourhoods will also be consulted.
“The South West Quarter Masterplan will complement the masterplanning underway in the adjacent Lower Falls and Lower Shankill neighbourhoods. I also intend to publish in the autumn, the approach I plan to take to the regeneration of the North West Quarter Part 2 area of the City Centre, which covers Library Quarter, Browns Square and Carrick Hill following consideration of representations received during public consultation earlier this year.”
Notes to Editors:
1. The area covered by the South West Quarter Regeneration Masterplan is shown on the attached map, which broadly follows the Prime Retail Core set out in the Draft Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan. PDF available for download 
and JPG 
. The Masterplan will cover both sides of Castle Street and will take account of the Department’s regeneration approach for the adjacent streets set out in the North West Quarter Part One Masterplan.
2.’ reSTORE DC’ supports the revitalisation of Washington DC’s neighbourhood commercial districts and small businesses by:
- providing technical and funding assistance in targeted neighbourhoods to retain DC businesses, design and improve storefronts and streetscapes, and promote DC’s business neighbourhood districts; and
- building the capacity of neighbourhood non-profit organisations to assist businesses and coordinate sustainable community-driven revitalisation efforts.
DSD is aiming to have a pilot version of the programme ready by March 2008 for the Greater Castle Street area and in up to six other urban centres across Northern Ireland to be identified as part of the development work on the pilot programme.
3. Implementation of the Masterplan and reSTORE pilot is subject to economic appraisal, funding availability and satisfying all necessary statutory requirements including, in the case of the masterplan, general compliance with the NI Regional Development Strategy.
4. Media enquiries to DSD Information Office on 028 9082 9078. Out of hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
