Last updated: October 2021
Belfast is located within the River Lagan Catchment and is at risk from flash floods caused by storm water unable to drain away into the combined storm and sewerage network. The Local Development Plan will facilitate the development of green infrastructure resource or ecosystem services such as the green wedges in Lagan Valley Regional Park (ref 2). Lagan Canal is one of the emerging partnership projects to produce plans to restore and revitalise the Lagan Canal corridor. The river Lagan and the canal is an asset for the city, and for the wider region (Ref 1).
Lagan Gateway Plan
https://www.flickr.com/photos/belfastcitycouncil/sets/72157688062911892/
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Green corridors and green belts
- Blue infrastructure
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
Key challenges
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Improving mental health
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: industry
- Economic development: service sectors
- Tourism support
- Real estate development
- Employment/job creation
Focus
Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas
Project objectives
The Strategic Framework, as per the Back to the River study for the Lagan has these principal aims (ref 3):
• To secure a spatial strategy for the river corridor and its wider catchment area
• To secure further integration of the river corridor with the city centre and neighbourhoods
• To enhance leisure, recreation and tourism opportunities, improving health and wellbeing of the city’s residents and creating employment whilst preserving and enhancing the environmental value of the river asset.
• To set the context for detailed framework plans that will guide development along the urban waterfront setting standards that will help regenerate the city.
• To maximise the regeneration impacts of projects along the corridor.
Now in the construction stage and called as Lagan Gateway it includes the following structural elements (Ref 7)
- development of a navigation lock
- construction of an iconic foot and cycle bridge
- refurbishment of the existing weir
- high quality landscaping and new path connections
The Lagan Gateway project is one of the catalyst projects identified within the wider Lagan Corridor area, which aims to create opportunities for tourism, employment, community engagement and economic growth along the river. (Ref 7)
Implementation activities
Ref 3 :
1. the waterfront will become a fully integrated part of an expanded city centre
2. development on the east bank from Albert Bridge to Odyssey that will create a vibrant waterfront
3. A vibrant waterfront and enhanced linkage across the river through the provision of pedestrian bridges
4.greater recreational use of the river itself
Now in the construction stage and called as Lagan Gateway it includes the following structural elements (Ref 7)
- development of a navigation lock
- construction of an iconic foot and cycle bridge
- refurbishment of the existing weir
- high-quality landscaping and new path connections
The Lagan Gateway project is one of the catalyst projects identified within the wider Lagan Corridor area, which aims to create opportunities for tourism, employment, community engagement and economic growth along the river. (Ref 7)
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Other
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Unknown
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Lagan corridor lies between Belfast City Council and Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council who overlooked the project. (Ref 6)
Flood risk management under the Regional Development Strategy of Belfast City (ref 2)
Additionally, EU plans:
1. Freshwater Fish Directive (78/659/EEC)
2. Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) and the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC)
3. Birds Directive (79/409/EEC)
(Ref 4)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(1. Freshwater Fish Directive (78/659/EEC)
2. Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) and the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC)
3. Birds Directive (79/409/EEC)
(REF 4)
4. EU Flood Risk Directive (ref 2))
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The Lagan LMA Action Plan (Ref 4))
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved waste management
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
- Increased green space area
- Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
Economic impacts
- More sustainable tourism
- Stimulate development in deprived areas
- Attraction of business and investment
- Generation of income from NBS
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved social cohesion
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
Ref 1. Belfast City Council. (nd.) Lagan Corridor Project. [Website not available in 2020]
Ref. 2 Belfast City Council. (nd). LDP 2020-2035 Flood Risk. Source: Source link [Accessed 22 September 2020]
Ref 3. Property and Projects Department, Belfast City Council. (2014). The Back to the River-Lagan Corridor Feasibility Study. [Website not available in 2020]
Ref 4. Lagan Local Management Area Action Plan and Update. (2013). [Website not available in 2020]
Ref 5.Clarke D.( nd.) Lagan Valley Regional Park ‘Green Lungs of the City’. Accessed: Source link [Accessed 22 September 2020]
Ref 6. Lagan Valley Regional Park. (2020) About us. Source: Source link [Accessed 22 September 2020]
Ref 7. Belfast City Council (2020)Lagan Gateway. Source: Source link [Accessed 22 September 2020]
Ref. 2 Belfast City Council. (nd). LDP 2020-2035 Flood Risk. Source: Source link [Accessed 22 September 2020]
Ref 3. Property and Projects Department, Belfast City Council. (2014). The Back to the River-Lagan Corridor Feasibility Study. [Website not available in 2020]
Ref 4. Lagan Local Management Area Action Plan and Update. (2013). [Website not available in 2020]
Ref 5.Clarke D.( nd.) Lagan Valley Regional Park ‘Green Lungs of the City’. Accessed: Source link [Accessed 22 September 2020]
Ref 6. Lagan Valley Regional Park. (2020) About us. Source: Source link [Accessed 22 September 2020]
Ref 7. Belfast City Council (2020)Lagan Gateway. Source: Source link [Accessed 22 September 2020]
https://www.flickr.com/photos/belfastcitycouncil/sets/72157688062911892/