Local Development Plan - DOA_01 Sailortown, Greater Clarendon & City Quays, DOA_07 Cathedral & NE Quarter

Why we are consulting

The Council made a commitment in the Plan Strategy (PS) to prepare Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) to support and clarify policies included within the Local Development Plan (LDP).

SPG represents non-statutory planning guidance and is intended to be read in conjunction with the existing planning policy framework, most notably the Belfast LDP Plan Strategy and the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) for Northern Ireland. They apply to Belfast local government district and are intended for use by developers, the public and by planning officers to support the assessment and delivery of planning proposals.

The Council has developed a suite of eighteen SPGs since the LDP was adopted in May, 2023, providing non statutory guidance which supports, clarifies and/or illustrates policies contained within the current planning policy framework. LDP Policy CC1 - Development Opportunity Sites enables the Council to identify and target a series of Development Opportunity Areas (DOAs) across the city centre which have significant capacity for new housing, commercial and other development linked to existing or potential improvements to public realm and public transport accessibility.

DOAs have been identified across the city centre which collectively will present a range of opportunities for new homes and employment creation as well as providing a degree of certainty for inward investment. SPG documents have been developed for two DOAs and provide a comprehensive masterplan approach to the future development of both DOA_01 Sailortown, Greater Clarendon & City Quays and DOA_07 Cathedral & NE Quarter with an emphasis on placemaking principles and good urban design practice.

Comments received during the consultation period will be assessed in respect of the need for potential amendments to the SPG and this consideration along with any proposed changes will be set out in a consultation report. Following this consultation and subject to any further amendments considered necessary, it is intended to adopt the SPG to support the assessment of relevant development proposals and decision making.

A consultation draft is available for 12 weeks and we look forward to receiving your comments on it by Thursday 29th January, 2026 (5pm).

Responding to the consultation

If you would like to respond to this consultation, there are a number of ways to make comment:

• Complete the online response form – once submitted your comments will be sent directly to the Development Plan and Policy team.
• Email your comments to: localdevelopmentplan@belfastcity.gov.uk
• Post your comments to: Belfast Planning Service, Belfast City Council, Cecil Ward Building, 4-10 Linenhall Street, Belfast, BT2 BBP. Response Form

Although we have also provided a downloadable version of this consultation response form, we would encourage you to respond online.

Responses must be received by 5pm on Thursday 29th January, 2026.

Important information about publishing your response

For the purpose of this consultation, your response, whether by post, email or online survey, is subject to processing as detailed below:

In submitting your response, you are positively agreeing for the council to hold and share your response so that it may be considered as part of the consultation process. Your response may be published and shared either anonymously or, with your name and/or organisation subject to the publishing preferences stated in your response.

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