The Shaftesbury Link

In the 1970s, planners set aside a route for a dual carriageway between Dublin Road and Cromac Street. The plan never materialised and the area has effectively been frozen for development for 40 years; surface car parks were built along the intended route as an interim measure.

This east-west focus meant that less attention was given to connecting the city centre with Queen’s University. The revised Masterplan will encourage pedestrian movement between the two areas.

Mixed use frontage developments will “fill the gaps” in the existing network of streets. A pedestrian bridge from the Gasworks to Ormeau Park will also be considered, to serve residents in the Markets and Donegall Pass areas.

The large car parks beside the Days Inn Hotel, the Ormeau Avenue Fire Station and the Radisson Blu Hotel would be filled up with new developments. Tree planting would improve the appearance of Great Victoria Street and a new public square (Ormeau Square) would be designed beside the Ormeau Baths.

Across Belfast, the Masterplan identifies six strategic projects that will deliver benefits for the whole city: the new University of Ulster campus; Royal Exchange; Rapid Transit; the Windsor Park and Casement Park stadia hubs; proposals for a green economy business park at the North Foreshore; and a digital infrastructure hub in the Cathedral Quarter area.

Another 11 major neighbourhood projects are designated, including Girdwood Barracks, the Springvale Innovation Centre, the Gaeltacht Quarter, Connswater Community Greenway and the Titanic Quarter.