Two Bolder Vision Belfast City Council initiatives are poised to transform critical parts of the city to make them safer, greener and more accessible, thanks to funding from the Department for Infrastructure Blue Green Infrastructure fund.

The first, an Active Travel initiative, is exploring market interest in providing secure cycle parking sites throughout the city to help promote active, environmentally responsible travel.

The second, ‘Grey to Green’, is inviting Belfast businesses, social enterprises, charities, and schools to submit expressions of interest in a fund to support green projects in the city centre.

Belfast City Council Chief Executive John Walsh said: “We want to see our city centre become safer, greener, more connected, and more accessible, so that’s why we’re looking for organisations to take forward Active Travel secure parking sites and greening the city projects.

“For the Active Travel secure cycle parking, we’ll consider Expressions of Interest from operators proposing to use carparks, carparks or repurpose vacant shop units to deliver and maintain safe, secure, and self-sustaining cycle parking.

“For Grey to Green, we plan to fund up to ten projects which will sustainably introduce trees, plants, vegetation, and flowers. This is all about encouraging biodiversity in the city centre – and helping to combat pollution. We’re also keen to make Belfast city centre more attractive and liveable by introducing temporary structures allowing vegetation to spread over building façades, hoarding or exterior walls, planting native trees, vegetation, and flowers in vacant, underused, and derelict city centre sites.”

The Active Travel scheme will provide 100% capital support up to a maximum of £30K per secure parking site and must be delivered by February 2024.