Berry Street To Ripen?

Shoppers and businesses in Belfast city centre may soon see benefits as a famous old street that once led from west Belfast into the city centre looks likely to be reopened.

A group called the Forum for Alternative Belfast is currently lobbying business owners with ideas which would make Bank Square - just behind Royal Avenue (pictured) - "the best urban space in the city".

As well as ideas for the city centre square for new buildings, the reopening of once-thriving Berry Street, which was crudely walled-off when CastleCourt was built in the late 1980s, has been mooted too.

The Forum for Alternative Belfast is a not-for-profit organisation of architects and planners. The Forum seeks to affect change to Belfast's built environment. They offer an independent forum for discussion and development of ideas on buildings, spaces and the streets we use every day.

According to the Andersonstown News, Mark Hackett, Forum co-founder, said: "In this case we are essentially lobbying the various owners in the area with an idea for a vibrant square made of buildings with active uses on ground floor – this is essential if the square is to succeed.

"We are also lobbying the Department for Social Development (DSD) to ensure their plans enable this reconfiguring of buildings to happen.

"DSD have commissioned a design for the square paving – but the Forum believes this needs to extend to helping resolve all the building issues and problems in the square.

"It is vital that a design can lead this process and that a good design for the buildings and the space can help solve all the multiple problems currently in the area," he added.

They said that Berry Street should re-open as an 'active street' – with shops and cafes both sides – leading into a square which has new and repaired buildings on all sides.

"Because of this authentic and vibrant potential mix of uses and businesses, Bank Square could quickly become the best urban space in the city – there is no doubt about that," said Mark.

"There are funds there to pave the space, all the private owners around the space are interested in building and therefore it just takes the final step of coming together to say, let's make this happen. It is in all our interests," he concluded.

(BMcC/GK)