Pedestrianisation plans delayed by 'austerity' would cost £5k

Pedestrianisation plans for a Belfast city centre street that a Stormont minister says have stalled due to "austerity by the British government" would cost about £5,000.

The proposals to ban cars from Hill Street in the city's Cathedral Quarter - a narrow, cobbled street that runs through a popular nightlife area - have faced years of delays.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said her department "remains committed" to the project but it has "competing business priorities and reduced staffing levels".

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Phillip Brett said the Sinn Féin minister's stance looked "frankly ridiculous".

The estimate emerged amid a dispute between DUP and Sinn Féin over the minister's plans to spend about £150,000 on Irish language signage at the city's Grand Central Station.

"£5,000 pales into insignificance when compared to other announcements made by the minister in recent weeks, undermining her argument even more," Brett said.

Green Party leader Mal O'Hara said he believes it is right to have dual language signage at Grand Central Station, but added that it should also be possible to pedestrianise Hill Street.

"There is enough money. It's just about political will and priorities and in this instance the minister lacks political will."

Hill Street, which contains many bars and restaurants, was pedestrianised for a trial period in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But plans to permanently close the street to vehicles have been long delayed.

Belfast pub owner Willie Jack said the cars on Hill Street were a "safety issue".

"Come down here on a Saturday and have a look and tell me any reason why it isn't pedestrianised," he said.

"It's dangerous. It's dangerous and it's an accident waiting to happen."

Mr Jack added that other cities, like Galway, are pedestrianised in the city centre.

In September last year, then infrastructure minister John O'Dowd said the proposals had been "put on hold".

Kimmins became infrastructure minister in February after a Sinn Féin reshuffle.

She said a detailed cost estimate had not been completed for the project but it was "likely to be in the region of £5,000".

"The impact of over 14 years of underfunding and austerity by the British government has left the department experiencing significant staff shortages," she said.

"This has meant that work is limited and can only proceed on the basis of prioritisation.

"While the cost of the scheme in and of itself may be low, the wider funding challenges for the department restricts the level of staff needed to carry out the necessary work."

Kimmins was responding to written questions submitted by Brett in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The DUP assembly member said "attempting to blame UK government austerity" was "never going to stand up to basic scrutiny, but now looks frankly ridiculous".

The infrastructure minister said her department "remains committed to progressing the pedestrianisation of Hill Street".

She said they were "exploring different options to try to satisfy all stakeholders' needs in order to facilitate completion of the necessary legislative process".