§ Andrew MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advice from DoE conservation and heritage officials was conveyed to the Northern616W Ireland Environment Minister prior to her decisions to approve the Victoria Square retail scheme and permit the demolition of the Kitchen Bar. [120646]
§ Angela SmithI was comprehensively briefed on all of the conservation and heritage aspects of this proposed retail scheme prior to making my decisions.
In assessing the proposal, I concluded that the regeneration benefits to the City Centre, in line with the Regional Development Strategy and the Belfast Urban Area Plan, outweighed the loss of the Kitchen Bar and other buildings in the Conservation Area, and that, on balance, the regenerative benefits to the City Centre outweighed the losses to the built heritage.
Regeneration of the City Centre through investment will, by breathing life into areas in decline, provide a firmer foundation for revitalising and securing the future of the City Centre's built heritage.