CREATING A NEW VISION: SCOPE FOR A GREAT AND SCALE CITY THE
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THE BELFAST HUB THE BELFAST HUB DISCOVER MORE AT WWW.TRANSLINK.CO.UK/THEHUB This document is available in a range of alternative formats, for example large print, braille or audio tape. To order copies please call the Translink Call Centre on 028 9066 6630 or Textphone 028 9038 7505. Design by whitenoisestudios.com CREATING A NEW VISION: SCOPE AND SCALE The time is right for this exciting opportunity for Belfast to be delivered. Translink will be rebuilding the Europa Buscentre and Great Victoria Street station area to provide a facility that will meet all the needs of a modern integrated transport hub. The location enjoys excellent access from all the main road corridors and is but a few minutes’ walk from the very heart of the city centre. LAND DEVELOPMENT In addition to the Transport Hub building there is circa ten acres of land, which will be made available by Translink for further development. This is a unique opportunity for a prime city centre site to embrace a wider social dimension: to be part of a ‘bigger idea’ of development for the common good. The land could be used for a number of purposes: office development, hotel and leisure, as well as residential, community and creative arts use. Such regeneration of an underutilised patch of land will benefit the city and contribute to enhancing the quality of life for the citizens of Northern Ireland. THE GATEWAY TO BELFAST AND NORTHERN IRELAND The new transport hub in Belfast will improve and increase access to the city centre and connections across the region and beyond. By freeing up the road network, congested by private car and single car occupancy in particular, we can actively contribute to the efficiency of the region and positively impact GVA as well as contributing to our environmental sustainability goals. A NEW HEART FOR A GREAT CITY Since the late 1990s Belfast’s economy has been one of the fastest growing in the UK. The same unprecedented growth is also true of public transport in Northern Ireland; there has been huge growth in usage of bus and rail services, particularly in Belfast where the main bus and rail terminus is operating at capacity and will struggle to meet future needs. RECORD NUMBERS USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT Nearly 80 million passenger journeys are made on the NI public transport infrastructure each year. Last year a record 11.5 million passenger journeys were made by rail - over twice the number since the current Great Victoria Street station was designed and built in 1995. Goldline coach services (the busiest services operate primarily in and out of Belfast) have continued to grow in the recession: the number of journeys made on Goldline services has increased by 45% over the last 8 years. The footfall for Great Victoria Street Station/Europa Buscentre is currently around 6.7 million people per annum - a staggering figure that is comparable to the combined passenger numbers for Northern Ireland’s airports at 6.8 million. Projections indicate that the current footfall could increase to at least 13 million by 2030. There is clearly a pressing need for a new Belfast Transport Hub to cater for current demand and future growth. A new hub will offer customers a fully integrated transport solution: a destination catering for rail, bus and coach, taxi, car and bicycle users. IMAGINING A NEW HEART IN THE CITY
CREATING A NEW VISION: SCOPE FOR A GREAT AND SCALE CITY THE
DISCOVER MORE AT WWW.TRANSLINK.CO.UK/THEHUB This document is
available in a range of alternative formats, for example large
print, braille or audio tape.
To order copies please call the Translink Call Centre on 028 9066
6630 or Textphone 028 9038 7505.
Design by whitenoisestudios.com
CREATING A NEW VISION: SCOPE AND SCALE The time is right for this
exciting opportunity for Belfast to be delivered. Translink will be
rebuilding the Europa Buscentre and Great Victoria Street station
area to provide a facility that will meet all the needs of a modern
integrated transport hub. The location enjoys excellent access from
all the main road corridors and is but a few minutes’ walk from the
very heart
of the city centre.
LAND DEVELOPMENT In addition to the Transport Hub building there is
circa ten acres of land, which will be made available by Translink
for further development. This is a unique opportunity for a prime
city centre site to embrace a wider social dimension: to be part of
a ‘bigger idea’ of development for the common good. The land could
be used for a number of purposes: office development, hotel and
leisure, as well as residential, community and creative arts use.
Such regeneration of an underutilised patch of land will benefit
the city and
contribute to enhancing the quality of life for the citizens of
Northern Ireland.
THE GATEWAY TO BELFAST AND NORTHERN IRELAND The new transport hub
in Belfast will improve and increase access to the city centre and
connections across the region and beyond. By freeing up the road
network, congested by private car and single car occupancy in
particular, we can actively contribute to the efficiency of the
region and positively impact GVA as well as contributing to our
environmental sustainability goals.
A NEW HEART FOR A GREAT CITY Since the late 1990s Belfast’s economy
has been one of the fastest growing in the UK. The same
unprecedented growth is also true of public transport in Northern
Ireland; there has been huge growth in usage of bus and rail
services, particularly in Belfast where the main bus and rail
terminus is
operating at capacity and will struggle to meet future needs.
RECORD NUMBERS USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT Nearly 80 million passenger
journeys are made on the NI public transport infrastructure each
year. Last year a record 11.5 million passenger journeys were made
by rail - over twice the number since the current Great Victoria
Street station was designed and built in 1995. Goldline coach
services (the busiest services operate primarily in and out of
Belfast) have continued to grow in the recession: the number of
journeys made on Goldline services has increased by 45% over the
last 8 years. The footfall for Great Victoria Street Station/Europa
Buscentre is currently around 6.7 million people per annum - a
staggering figure that is comparable to the combined passenger
numbers for Northern Ireland’s airports at 6.8 million. Projections
indicate that the current footfall could increase to at least 13
million by 2030. There is clearly a pressing need for a new Belfast
Transport Hub to cater for current demand and future growth. A new
hub will offer customers a fully integrated transport solution: a
destination catering for rail, bus and coach,
taxi, car and bicycle users.
IMAGINING A NEW HEART IN THE CITY
NEARLY
TRANSPORT
Design by whitenoisestudios.com
EUROPA BUSCENTRE PER ANNUM
LAND VALUES IN VICINITY INCREASED BY
67% GB EXPERIENCE
77% 463
CONSTRUCTION 2,500 POTENTIAL JOBS CREATED
THROUGH LAND DEVELOPMENT
100% INTEGRATED TRANSPORT
SOLUTION FOR BELFAST
THE CITY CENTRE
CREATING JOBS AND WEALTH The Hub will be a high class Gateway and
create a fantastic first impression of Belfast as a progressive and
confident capital city. Last year Northern Ireland attracted 1.5
million visitors, contributing £367 million to the economy. The new
Transport Hub will efficiently deliver regular travellers and
visitors to the city centre and positively assist the ongoing
development of the tourism product that boosts the region’s
economy. Because of the increase in the platform capacity of the
new Hub, the Belfast to Dublin Enterprise service will be relocated
there and provide a springboard for improved service delivery for
travellers - a more convenient terminus for onward travel and the
opportunity to increase the service frequency. Translink recently
commissioned Grant Thornton UK LLP to assess the impact of the new
Hub project and they reported that it has the potential to
create/safeguard 370 direct jobs and 93 indirect jobs in the
construction period of the project, contributing £21m GVA (Gross
Value Added measures the regional Gross Domestic Product). If the
development of the surrounding land is taken into account, then
Belfast and Northern Ireland could benefit from an additional 2,500
jobs, contributing £56m GVA. Importantly, the Hub ensures that the
future commercial growth of Belfast is not constrained because
travel demand cannot be met.
SIMILAR EXPERIENCE IN GREAT BRITAIN AND EUROPE Experience in Great
Britain and Europe shows that investing in public transport
infrastructure, particularly this type of project, improves the
public transport experience and very positively impacts local and
often regional economies; a catalyst for regeneration This is
evidenced in cities including London, Manchester, Sheffield and
Nottingham and in Europe, Antwerp and Lille are notable examples.
In addition to providing benefits for passengers, these major
transport projects have unlocked development potential of property
around the stations and as a result many towns and cities have seen
increased investment and employment.
THE SHEFFIELD EXPERIENCE • 77% increase in total station
entry/exits (2003-09), which compares to a national average of 42%
for the same period. • 67% increase in land values within a 400m
radius of the station between 2003 and 2008, which was three times
the average increase for the rest of Sheffield over the same time
period. • Major inward investors cited improvements in the quality
of the station and public realm as a key factor in deciding to
relocate businesses to the city.
Network Rail report that a 10% change (improvement) in rail
connectivity can increase the number of jobs within a given area by
up to 14%.
COMMUNITY REGENERATION The residential areas neighbouring the Hub
site, notably Sandy Row and the Lower Falls in West Belfast, have
experienced years of economic decline. There is a strong desire
locally and within the NI Executive to revitalise these areas.
Every effort will be made to ensure these communities participate
in the economic benefits that will be associated with both the Hub
redevelopment project and the development of the land. Steer Davies
Gleave’s ‘The Value of Station Investment - Research on
Regenerative Impacts’ report, November 2011, asserts that “a
well-designed station environment can improve the image of the
place it serves, making it more attractive to live, work and
invest…”
WHAT NOW? This project has appeal on all levels - to users of
public transport; locally-based businesses and local residents. It
offers real economic benefits for Belfast and the region in
challenging times when opportunities have been limited. Seize this
chance to be part of something that will be the catalyst for growth
for Belfast and benefit the whole of Northern Ireland and get
behind the Hub!
...THE BELFAST HUB WILL DRIVE
GROWTH AND CHANGE