Chancellor's £2m lifeline for Belfast City Centre after Primark blaze

The Chancellor has allocated £2m to help Belfast City Centre recover after the fire which gutted.

A safety cordon around the building has been in place since then.

It has left 14 businesses unable to trade.

Earlier this month, it emerged the fire caused a 30% drop in footfall in the city centre.

A Belfast City Council report has found a reduction of almost 50% in some areas close to Bank Buildings.

On Monday, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced £2 million for the city centre during his Budget statement.

“I was pleased to be able to respond to a joint request by the members for Belfast North, Belfast East and Belfast South to provide the city with £2 million help towards the recovery of the city centre following the fire at the iconic Bank Buildings,'' he told the House of Commons.

Last week, Primark was granted permission by the city council's planning committee to commence work on Bank Buildings.

Earlier in October, the council announced details of a £1.69 million package aimed at attracting people into the city centre.

It included a ski slope, Ferris wheel and mini festival.

Elsewhere in today’s Budget a total of £320m in additional funding was allocated to the Northern Ireland Executive plus £350m for a Belfast City Region Deal.

Today’s announcements overall for Northern Ireland include:

• An extra £320 million for a Northern Ireland Executive from UK government spending, meaning its budget will have grown to over £11.7 billion by 2020.

• £350 million for a Belfast City Region Deal to boost investment and productivity, generating jobs, growth and prosperity.

• Opening formal negotiations for a Derry/Londonderry and Strabane City Region Deal.

• Providing £2 million for the recovery and regeneration of Belfast City Centre following the Bank Buildings fire in August.

• Bringing forward shared and integrated education projects worth £300 million.

• Creating a new technical working group to consider the practical and legal challenges to changing short-haul Air Passenger Duty (APD) in Northern Ireland.

• Publishing a summary of responses on the impact of VAT and APD on tourism in Northern Ireland following the call for evidence announced at last year’s Budget.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, said: “My Budget sends a clear message to the people of Northern Ireland– your hard work is paying off.

“Thanks to the UK government’s careful stewardship of the economy the public finances are in a much stronger position and national debt is falling.

“This means we have more money to invest in Northern Ireland’s future – including £320 million funding for the Northern Ireland Executive, £350 million for a Belfast City Region Deal and £2 million to support the regeneration of Belfast city centre.”

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley said:

"This Budget is a clear sign of the UK government’s commitment to build a stronger economy for all in Northern Ireland.

“I am delighted that the Chancellor has announced an extra £320 million for Northern Ireland and £350 million for a Belfast City Region Deal to boost jobs, hundreds of millions of pounds of investment and prosperity. The NIO and the NI Civil Service have worked closely with local authorities to help deliver a fantastic result for Belfast. It is now vital that we build on this success and secure a good City Deal for the people and businesses in the Derry/Londonderry and Strabane region.

"Today's announcement shows this government’s support for an inclusive future in Northern Ireland with £300 million for shared and integrated education. The Budget also provides a much-needed boost to local businesses with £2 million towards the regeneration of Belfast city centre.”

Meanwhile, DUP Treasury Spokesman and East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson said:

"There is good news in this budget for Northern Ireland and the entire United Kingdom but it is a missed opportunity to set out a new economic vision for the nation. This should have been the budget where the Chancellor outlined the opportunities for the UK as we exit the EU.

“The £350m for a Belfast Regional City Deal must be welcomed and is a massive achievement for all involved. Northern Ireland City Deals date back to the DUP’s June 2017 Confidence & Supply Agreement. City Deals have transformed regions in Great Britain and we can now look forward to similar results in Northern Ireland. The fact that they are not tied to a functioning NI Executive is also incredibly useful as Sinn Fein continues to block devolution. “

There was a cautious welcome, though, from the SDLP Belfast City Council Group Leader Tim Attwood.

He said: "It is a little disappointing that the contribution is only £350m from Treasury, rather than the £450m in the Belfast Region City Deal bid. It is now vital we secure the support from central government in NI and the private sector to push forward with our transformational plans detailed in our City Deal plans.

"Belfast City Council and our other partners want to deliver a major step change in our region’s economic fortunes, help achieve a 10 year programme of inclusive growth, and create up to 20,000 new and better jobs, accessible to people from all communities.”

However Sinn Féin MP Elisha McCallion has criticised the British Chancellor over his failure to announce a city deal for Derry in today's budget.

The Foyle MP said:

"Today in the budget the British Chancellor had the opportunity to deliver a huge economic boost to the north west through a city deal but failed to do so.

"This city and district spoke with a united voice in calling for a city deal to aid our wider strategic growth plan but the Tory Chancellor chose to ignore that.

“It is my firm belief that if the political will was there Philip Hammond could have announced a city deal for Derry today.

"It is yet another example of the total lack of regard for Derry and the north west by a Tory government, propped up by the DUP.

"While it is welcome that Philip Hammond referenced discussions with Derry and Strabane District Council about securing a city deal, these need to move to forward speedily in a manner that will secure a city deal for Derry and the north west.

"There is already a huge amount of work currently done in preparation for these important discussions with the British Treasury and I will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure we have a successful outcome.

"For our part we will be press ahead with the strategic growth plan and continue to lobby for a city deal as part of an inclusive growth deal needed to realise the economic potential that exists in the north west."