The North Foreshore of Belfast Lough has potential as a location for economic development when its life as a landfill sites comes to an end, it was claimed today.
Belfast City Council published its draft masterplan for the future development of the 340 acre site which is due to end its landfill days next May.
"The North Foreshore has huge capacity to benefit the citizens of Belfast," said Marie-Therese McGivern, the council's director of development. But she said considerable planning was needed to ensure that the benefits were properly realised.
The council is proposing that in addition to parts of the site being used for future waste management, it should also be used for economic development and recreational purposes.
Ms McGivern pointed out the foreshore was a relatively new and artificially created area of land which would only fully mature over the next 30 years. "While this limits the number of potential uses for the site, the north foreshore has a huge capacity to benefit the citizens of Belfast.
However considerable planning is required to ensure that these benefits are properly realised," she said.
"The proposed plans for the site are designed to promote new and greener waste management solutions and to promote sustainable environmental industries," she added.
The site was bought by the council last year from the Department of Environment because of the development potential of the huge brownfield site. Launching the master plan at a waste conference at Belfast's St George's Market, Ms McGivern said development of the location had much to offer a traditionally deprived part of the city.