Belfast Chamber welcomes millions in match funding for Belfast City Deal project

Belfast Chamber Chief Executive Simon Hamilton has welcomed the announcement by the Northern Ireland Executive that it will provide the all-important match funding for the infrastructure and regeneration and tourism projects contained within the Belfast Region City Deal.

Commenting, Simon Hamilton said, “In a time of generally bad news and many strains on our economy, it is a real shot in the arm for the Northern Ireland Executive to announce that it will provide hundreds of millions of pounds in match funding for the Belfast Region City Deal’s infrastructure, regeneration and tourism projects.

Belfast Chamber has been hugely supportive of the City Deal and its projects.  We see schemes like phase 2 of the Glider, the global centres of research and innovation excellence at our two universities, the Belfast Story destination hub, the smart district and the new Lagan pedestrian and cycle bridge as absolutely crucial to the future success of our city’s economy.  Given where we now find ourselves as a consequence of the coronavirus, those projects will have added importance in Belfast’s recovery.  These excellent projects will create jobs, attract investment and make Belfast an even better place to live, work and play, and also help the city in its role as the economic driver of the entire region.

This was an issue I urged the Finance Minister Conor Murphy to accelerate during a conversation last week and, on behalf of Belfast Chamber, I wat to thank him and his Executive colleagues for the excellent announcement today”.