24/11/2025

Belfast Council Seeks £250m Regeneration Fund From Chancellor

Belfast City Council, supported by its partners, has submitted a robust case to Westminster ahead of the Chancellor's Budget Statement on 26 November 2025, seeking £250 million to create a City-Wide Regeneration Fund for Belfast.

The Belfast Place Based Growth Proposition argues that Northern Ireland currently receives nearly half the regional average spend on regeneration and local growth per capita compared to Scotland, Wales, and English regions. This disparity has led to a ‘regeneration deficit' in Belfast, hindering economic growth and the ability to compete globally.

The proposed £250 million fund is intended to deliver catalytic change through:

• Housing-led, mixed-use regeneration, including measures to tackle dereliction.

• Improved infrastructure, connectivity, public realm, place making, and green spaces.

• Unlocking stalled major regeneration schemes, such as the Cathedral and Northeast Quarter, Waterside, Dunbar, and The Sixth.
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Councillor Natasha Brennan, Chair of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, said the city has a compelling investment proposition, highlighting strengths in FinTech, life and health sciences, and advanced manufacturing being boosted by the Belfast Region City Deal.

"We're falling well behind other core cities when it comes to regeneration related funding available—and that's harming our ability to compete in the global marketplace and drive growth in our city and wider region," Councillor Brennan stated.

The Proposition is seeking targeted investment, comparative to funding available in other UK cities, to better equip Belfast to drive growth for the whole of Northern Ireland.

Councillor Ian McLaughlin, Chair of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, asserted that investing through a transformative City-Wide Regeneration Fund makes 'sound business sense'.

He added: "It's money that will enhance the Belfast Region City Deal's impact and generate significant and long-lasting returns for Northern Ireland and the UK, because we're uniquely positioned and ready for growth."

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