As students make the return to the classroom with fresh goals and renewed focus, it is perhaps an opportune time for Belfast to revisit the fundamentals of how it governs, plans, and delivers for its people.
Belfast is bursting with potential. Over the past quarter-century, it has evolved into a dynamic centre for innovation, investment, and urban regeneration.
Ulster University’s city centre campus has injected new life into the Cathedral Quarter, Belfast’s waterfront has been revitalised, and the Titanic Quarter has become a showcase of the city’s renewal.
The city has also carved out a niche as a hub for fintech, cybersecurity and creative industries. Belfast’s transformation has been impressive, and these successes prove what can be achieved when vision and delivery align.
Yet, despite this progress, many business leaders and investors continue to encounter a common challenge: the pace of delivery.
At the heart of this issue lies a fragmented governance structure. Key responsibilities -particularly in, for example, regeneration – are split across multiple bodies, including the Department for Communities, Belfast City Council, and the Department for Infrastructure.
This division often leads to delays, unclear accountability, and a complex administrative burden that can deter investment and slow momentum.
For a city of Belfast’s scale, this level of complexity is difficult to justify. Strategic alignment across departments is essential, but difficult to achieve when budgets, priorities, and delivery mechanisms are dispersed. This works against our message of being open for business – Belfast must be sharper, faster, and more responsive if it is to compete for investment and talent on the international stage.
None of this is new of course. In recent years Belfast Chamber published The Empowering Belfast report analysing other potential solutions. It explores a range of reform options, including hybrid governance models that could streamline decision-making without requiring wholesale structural change. These models include proposals for a Belfast Development Corporation or a Single Delivery Authority -entities that could consolidate responsibility for regeneration, infrastructure, and strategic growth under one roof.
Such reforms would not only improve efficiency and accountability but also make Belfast more attractive to investors, developers, and talent. Most importantly, this would make Belfast a better city in which to live. A more agile governance model would also allow the city to respond quickly to opportunities, align policy with resources, and deliver projects at scale.
Cities such as Manchester and Liverpool have demonstrated the benefits of clearer leadership and devolved powers. While Belfast may not adopt a mayoral model, there is scope to learn from these examples and tailor a solution that fits our city’s unique context.
Ultimately, reform is not just a matter for the Executive Office. Reform is required in many other places to drive the growth agenda. It requires collaboration across departments, councils, agencies, and the business community. Without a united push for change, the status quo will persist.
Belfast has the ambition and the assets. With the right delivery model, it can unlock its full potential and make this a better city for all its citizens. It is now imperative to establish such a model so as not to be outpaced. Being intelligently bold will fully unleash our burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit and ambition.
The opportunity is there, and it is one that should not be missed.