Northern Ireland

Regeneration powers 'must be transferred to councils' to help post-pandemic recovery

L-R: Chris McCracken of Linen Quarter BID with Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon and Belfast Lord Mayor Kate Nicholl at a 'parklet' on Linenhall Street in Belfast.
L-R: Chris McCracken of Linen Quarter BID with Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon and Belfast Lord Mayor Kate Nicholl at a 'parklet' on Linenhall Street in Belfast. L-R: Chris McCracken of Linen Quarter BID with Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon and Belfast Lord Mayor Kate Nicholl at a 'parklet' on Linenhall Street in Belfast.

VILLAGES and towns will not be able to recover from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic if urban regeneration powers are not devolved to councils, a local government body has warned.

The Northern Ireland Local Government Association (Nilga), which represents Northern Ireland’s 11 councils, questioned why the powers still had not been devolved from Stormont, as agreed in 2015.

Nilga said red-tape was creating "significant constraints" to recovery.

It said mini parks, known as parklets, had been "positively received by businesses and pedestrians alike" after they were set up on the Ormeau Road and Linen Quarter in Belfast.

However, councils and business improvement districts have to apply to the departments of infrastructure and communities before they can build parklets in their areas.

Nilga's chief executive, Derek McCallan, said positive changes are happening too slowly.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Infrastructure said the transfer of regeneration powers is outside its remit.

A Department for Communities spokesman said: “The functions which transferred to the 11 new councils from 1 April 2015 were agreed by the previous Executive, any additional transfer of functions would require consideration and agreement by the Executive".