Belfast Historic Waterfront has secured its first stream of investment through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places strategic initiative, marking a major milestone in unlocking the future potential of Belfast’s historic waterfront through heritage preservation, storytelling and community engagement.
The funding will support the creation of three new community-based roles over the next two years, embedded across Inner East, Inner South and Inner North Belfast in partnership with EastSide Partnership, Lower Ormeau Residents Action Group and Sailortown Regeneration.
Led by Maritime Belfast Trust, lead partner for Belfast Historic Waterfront, the initiative will help unlock the area’s heritage potential by strengthening local connections, building community capacity and laying the foundations for future investment.
The three roles will work directly with local communities to support engagement, identify opportunities and develop projects that celebrate and activate Belfast’s rich waterfront heritage, reconnecting communities with the waterfront.
This investment marks the first tangible delivery step for Belfast Historic Waterfront since being selected as part of the Heritage Places programme, a UK-wide initiative designed to help places increase pride in place and connect communities and visitors with heritage. The posts also respond to Belfast’s Bolder Vision Strategy in which Embracing the Waterfront, is one of four key moves, addressing the legacy of Belfast turning its back to the River Lagan. The posts will support local communities to re-engage with this important built, social and natural heritage asset.
Kerrie Sweeney, MBE, CEO of Maritime Belfast Trust, said: “This is an important milestone for the Belfast Historic Waterfront. This first investment allows us to move from vision to action, embedding people and resources directly in communities to help shape the future of Belfast’s historic waterfront together. These new roles will help unlock local stories, strengthen partnerships, boosting pride in place and create the foundations for long-term heritage transformation.”
Dr Paul Mullan, Northern Ireland Director at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “In delivering our Heritage 2033 strategy, Heritage Places is our long-term commitment to targeted, place-based investment. Belfast’s Historic Waterfront is one of 15 places across the UK that have been selected for support to connect communities and visitors with the breadth of heritage in the area – from its rich industrial past to the abundance of natural heritage. Most importantly, through these new roles, it’s an investment in people, increasing the capacity for communities in the area to engage with their local heritage ensuring everyone’s heritage is recognised.”
Terry McKeown, Sailortown Regeneration, said: “We are pleased to play a part in the next chapter of the Belfast Historic Waterfront. Inner North Belfast has a rich maritime heritage, shaped by generations who lived and worked by the waterfront. This new role is an opportunity to work closely with local communities to uncover and share stories, strengthen connections, and keep the area’s heritage at the heart of regeneration, reconnecting people with the waterfront. We look forward to supporting the community to shape projects that reflect both the history and the future potential of this part of the city.”
This first phase of funding represents the beginning of a wider programme of activity that will focus on heritage preservation and conservation, biodiversity, nature and access to the water, animation and activation, waterfront promenade connectivity and community engagement.
For more information on Belfast Historic Waterfront and the job roles, visit> https://www.maritimebelfast.com/destination-development/belfast-historic-waterfront/