Lagan Gateway Phase 2

Prepared by AECOM on behalf of the applicant Belfast City Council

September 2022

Table of contents

1. Introduction 

• 1.1 Background
• 1.2 Purpose of Report

2. Consultation responses 

• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Summary of Public Engagement 
• 2.2.1 Quantitative Data from Survey 
  • Question 1
  • Question 2
  • Question 3
  • Question 4
  • Question 5
  • Question 6

3. Qualitative responses and consideration

• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 Feedback and applicants’ response

4. Conclusion 

• 4.1 Design Amendments Following Consultation

Appendix A Consultation board

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

AECOM acting on behalf of our client, Belfast City Council (BCC), is applying to the Planning Department at BCC for planning permission to undertake environmental improvement works (hereafter referred to as “the proposed development”) for Phase 2 of the Lagan Gateway project in South Belfast. The proposed development will build on the success of Phase 1, which included a new pedestrian and cycle bridge, connecting Stranmillis to Annadale. Phase 2 will see the development of a greenway connection from Lagan Lands East at Annadale through to Belvoir Forest Park, to further encourage and enable more sustainable travel. The proposed development is summarised as follows:

• Proposal: Lagan Gateway Phase 2 - environmental improvement works to create a shared walking/cycling connection between Phase 1, Annandale Embankment, Hampton Park, Galwally Avenue and Belvoir Park Forest. To incorporate widening and re-surfacing works to existing informal paths providing new 3m and 4m wide asphalt paths, new 3m wide compacted gravel path and new 2m wide mown grass path; new 3m wide raised timber boardwalk (approximately 84m long); new bollards and associated vegetation removal/planting.
• Address: Lands to the east of the River Lagan located between Lagan Gateway Phase 1 and Belvoir Park Forest, crossing at Galwally Avenue, running adjacent to Belvoir Park Golf Club and Newtownbreda Water Treatment Plant, Belfast.

1.2 Purpose of Report

The purpose of this report is to outline the consultation process which has been undertaken in relation to the proposed development, providing a summary and analysis of the comments collected during the consultation, demonstrating how the views of the consultees have been considered where applicable. It is hoped this report will address the community issues raised during the consultation, providing for smoother and more effective decision-making process.

Section 27 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 places a statutory duty on applicants for planning permission to consult the community in advance of submitting an application, if the development falls within the major category as prescribed in the Planning (Development Management) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 (see relevant extract replicated below in Table 1). Developments which meet or exceed the criteria set out in column 2 are considered major development, in relation to this table the proposed development is considered in to fall within Category 9 - All other development.

Table 1

The proposed development has a site area under 1ha and does not include development that comprises 5,000 square metres or more gross floor space. Therefore, the proposed development doesn’t constitute major development, as such there is no statutory requirement to undertake community consultation. However, as the proposed development is part of a wider programme of important developments in the area, the applicant thought it was necessary to consult with the community prior to the submission of the planning application. By undertaking consultation, the applicant has sought to raise awareness of the proposals whilst also gathering initial feedback to inform the emerging designs.

2. Consultation responses

2.1 Introduction

This chapter provides a summary of the views expressed by those who responded to the consultation process. The consultation material (see Appendix A) was hosted online between 5 June 2022 and 4 July 2022 on BCC’s consultation portal [1]. An online survey including 16 questions was provided to allow the public to submit their views. In addition to this, an in-person information event took place on site on 18 June 2022, at Lagan Land East were members of the project team were present between 10am and 2pm to discuss the proposals.

2.2 Summary of Public Engagement

In total, 322 individual surveys were returned by the public. At the end of the consultation the survey responses were collated and analysed. This involved both a numerical analysis of the quantitative data and a thematic analysis of the qualitative data collected from the open-ended questions.

The following section includes graphs and charts which visualise the collated results of the close-ended questions from the survey. Note, Questions 7 and 8 of the survey were open ended and the results of these are detailed within the following chapter. Questions 9 to 16 have been excluded from the analysis below as these don’t directly relate to the proposed development, instead these questions largely relate to BCC’s Section 75 [2] equality duties.

2.2.1 Quantitative Data from Survey

Question 1

How often do you use locality on average?

Question 1 asked respondents to indicate how often they use the proposed development’s locality. As shown in Figure 2-1, “Once a week” was the most popular response at 37.8 per cent, followed by “every day/nearly every day” at 29.5 per cent and “monthly” at 24.1 per cent. “Very rarely” and “Never” received much lower levels of response at 8.2 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively.

Figure 2-1: Question 1 Response Summary

Question 2

If you visit this area, what way do you usually travel?

Question 2 asked respondents how they usually travel to the area. Figure 2-2 shows that the majority of respondents (71.1 per cent) “walk/run” to the area. A smaller proportion (24.2 per cent) visit the area by “cycle”, whilst 0.6 per cent visit the site “wheeling” using a wheelchair or other mobility aid.

Figure 2-2: Question 2 Response Summary

Question 3

If the greenway connection were to be built between Lagan Lands East and Belvoir Forest Park, are you more or less likely to use it for:

Question 3 asked respondents to rank how likely they were to us the proposed connection for commuting, cycling and recreational use. From the results 252 respondents stated that they were likely to use the greenway for recreational usage, with commuting being the least popular, with 103 respondents stating they don’t believe they would use it for commuting purposes.

Figure 2-3: Question 3 Response Summary

Question 4

If the greenway connection were to be built, how often would you use the route?

Question 4 asked respondents how often they would use the proposed route. Figure 2-4 shows that “Once a week” was the most popular response at 39.9 per cent, followed closely by “Every day/nearly every day” at 32.4 per cent, both representing higher proportions than the same responses in relation to existing usage (see Question 1). The next most popular response was “Monthly” at 17.6 per cent. “Very rarely” and “Never” received much lower levels of response at 6.0 per cent and 4.1 per cent respectively.

Figure 2-4: Question 4 Response Summary

Question 5

Tell us to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements:

Question 5 asked respondents to what extent did they agreed or disagreed with the following statements:

• The route should be as direct as possible.
• The route should have minimal impact on the biodiversity.
• The path connection should be kept as natural as possible and follow the existing informal route.
• The greenway connection should be of a minimum of 4 m so that it meets the standards set out for national cycling.
• The route should be suitable for people of all abilities.
• The path should be shared by all users.
• Safety is my main concern using a greenway.

Figure 2-5 below shows the results of this question. The strongest level of agreement across the seven statements (combining definitely agree to somewhat agree) was for “The route should have minimal impact on the biodiversity”.

The next greatest level of agreement came for “The route should be suitable for people of all abilities”, followed by “The path connection should be kept as natural as possible and follow the existing informal route” and “The path should be shared by all users”.

It is clear the respondents were most divided on the following statements: “The route should be as direct as possible”, “The greenway connection should be of a minimum of 4 m so that it meets the standards set out for national cycling” and “Safety is my main concern using a greenway”.

Figure 2-5: Question 5 Response Summary

Question 6

Overall, how supportive or unsupportive are you of the development of a greenway connection between Lagan Lands East and Belvoir Forest Park?

Question 6 asked respondents how supportive they were of the development of a greenway connection between Lagan Lands East and Belvoir Forest Park. As shown in Figure 2-6, the vast majority (83.2 per cent) of respondents were either “supportive” or “very supportive” of the proposed development. Conversely, only 11.8 per cent of respondents were either “unsupportive” or “very unsupportive”, whilst 5.0 per cent were “neither supportive nor unsupportive”.

Figure 2-6: Question 6 Response Summary

• [1] https://yoursay.belfastcity.gov.uk/lagan-gateway-phase-2
• [2] Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. This places a statutory obligation on Public Authorities to carry out their functions with due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and good relations

3. Qualitative responses and consideration

3.1 Introduction

This chapter explores the main themes raised during the consultation process, providing a response to each of issues and detailing, where appropriate, how the proposals could be amended. Questions 7 and 8 within the questionnaire were open ended and allowed respondents to express their opinions, recommendations and concerns on the scheme. The questions asked:

• Question 7: Do you have any comments about the proposed greenway connection?
• Question 8: Is there anything else you might want to see supplementing the greenway?

3.2 Feedback and applicants’ response

It is recognised that a number of concerns were identified during this consultation process. Table 2 and Table 3 provides a summary of the themes raised.

Table 2

Table 3

4. Conclusion

The consultation has given the community an opportunity to express their views and opinions before the submission of the planning application for Lagan Gateway Phase 2. This consultation report provides a summary of the comments and queries raised by the local community. We have acknowledged these comments in Chapter 3 and provide responses to help address the issues raised.

4.1 Design Amendments Following Consultation

This section details the potential amendments that will be made to the proposed development following the conclusion of the consultation. These potential amendments have been made in response to concerns raised by the public and other stakeholders. A summary of the potential amendments are as follows:

• Felled trees will be replaced where appropriate to ensure the character of the site is retained.
• The final design will consider arrangement of routes and widths. All surface materials will be considered throughout the design process. Natural materials would be preferable to retain the natural character of the site.
• Picnic and public spaces will be considered as part of the revised scheme.
• Where appropriate, gates will be removed to improve access for all. Existing kissing/gate adjacent to the golf club is proposed to be removed.
• Additional bins will be located along the route.
• The need for interpretive panels will be considered in the development of a signage strategy as part of the next stage of detailed design.
• Cycle stands to be considered at either end of the route but not along the route itself.

In conclusion, the vast majority of respondents support the proposed development. Where required, mitigation measures have been identified to reduce the potential impact of the proposed development, where comments have not led to changes in the proposed development, a justification has been provided. It is considered that the issues raised in consultation responses have now been adequately addressed and potential amendments will be inputted into the final design.

Appendix A Consultation Board

What would you like to see?

• Informal natural play

• Native wildflower/grass meadows

• New native woodland planting

• Shared pedestrian and cycle paths

• Feature elevated boardwalk

• Informal compacted gravel paths