Belfast can’t wait 11 years for York Street Interchange Project

12 April 2024

The architects of Northern Ireland today make a public call to the NI Executive to fundamentally reconsider the current approach to the York Street Interchange project in Belfast.

The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA), is proposing an alternative approach which will reduce congestion, will be more affordable, will be quicker and less disruptive to deliver, will enhance the surrounding neighbourhood and will result in lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Ciarán Fox, Director of RSUA, said, “In light of the acknowledgement from the Infrastructure Minister on Wednesday that it would take more than a decade to deliver the existing York Street Interchange scheme, we believe it is the right time to draw a line under this version of the project. We believe that lighter-touch proposals could provide many of the benefits of the current scheme but most importantly, they could be delivered within an achievable budget and a shorter timeframe.”

Architect, Mark Hackett, has been analysing and commenting on the current York Street Interchange proposals which began in 2008.  Mark, in partnership with other experts and the local community, has developed the alternative lighter-touch proposals which RSUA supports.

RSUA’s assessment of the current scheme and the need for a change of direction is based on the following five principles:

1. Too big, too slow
2. Too big, too costly
3. Too big, too much up-front carbon
4. Too big, too disruptive to life
5. Too big to put people first

RSUA Assessment of the future of the York Street Interchange Project

The need for improvements to the flow of traffic through Belfast in the area of York Street was identified in the 1960s. That need remains today and has only intensified over the last 60 years. However, it is RSUA’s view that it is now time for the Department for Infrastructure to fundamentally reconsider the current mega-project approach to the York Street Interchange and to adopt an alternative approach which is affordable, less disruptive, quicker, neighbourhood-enhancing and which will result in lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduced congestion.

Architect, Mark Hackett, has been analysing and commenting on the current York Street Interchange proposals which began in 2008.  Mark, in partnership with other experts and the local community, has developed alternative lighter-touch proposals which would provide many of the benefits of the current proposals and most importantly, would be affordable. RSUA agrees with Mark’s assessment of the current proposals and supports the further refinement of alternative proposals under the following five principles:

1. Too big, too slow
   • If the project was to proceed as currently envisaged, work is unlikely to commence earlier than 2028 after the publication of the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan. A 2028 tender would mean a completion no sooner than 2033. Indeed, it was reported on 10 April 2024 at the Infrastructure Committee that the Minister estimates a 2035 completion date.
   • A series of smaller interventions could take place in a phased manner over a shorter timeframe to deliver benefits faster.
2. Too big, too costly
   • The 2015 estimate for this project was £165m. The estimated cost now is likely to be in excess of £250m.
   • The Department of Infrastructure has stated that no funding has been identified for this scheme. It is not an Executive Flagship project.
   • RSUA does not believe that such a level of funding will be available and therefore the project will go nowhere in its current state. This means many more years of congestion and blight.
   • Even if the funding was made available, capital investment is more urgently needed in other areas.
   • A more affordable model is required. It may not deliver all of the traffic benefits originally anticipated but half a loaf is better than no bread.
3. Too big, too much up-front carbon
   • This heavily engineered project would require an enormous amount of concrete and other building materials. The production of these materials and the construction process would result in massive carbon emissions at a time when NI is legally committed to reducing emissions.
   • Whilst the finished project would help reduce emissions from fossil fuel powered vehicles, the slow timeframe for delivery means that many vehicles would by then be powered using low-carbon sources.
   • A series of smaller projects using less materials would reduce up-front carbon emissions and reduce emissions from vehicles in the shorter term.
4. Too big, too disruptive to life
   • The current proposed project involves many years, potentially up to a decade, of disruption – dust, noise, vermin, diversions, traffic jams that would negatively impact the wider city but especially those living and working in the area.
   • A series of smaller projects can release traffic in phases and cause a lot less disruption during construction.
5. Too big to put people first
   • The core brief for this project has been focused on moving motor vehicles. Wider factors have now been considered but the core goal has not been compromised.
   • The local area has been blighted by roads with poor street connections for people walking or cycling. The place is stagnant and will remain so for a decade.
   • The developments at Ulster University and the Harbour have brought thousands more people into the area. This creates the need for a greater emphasis on the quality of the urban environment now. This people growth will continue over the next few years.
   • A series of smaller projects could begin with enhancements to the current streetscape and would require some compromise between the urban goals and the free flowing movement of vehicles.

RSUA supports the thrust of Mark Hackett’s alternative proposals which are a pragmatic response to the problems with the current proposal.

Mark’s high-level overview of a phased, simplified and low-carbon alternative can be viewed here.

About RSUA

The Royal Society of Ulster Architects strives to enhance Northern Ireland’s built environment for the benefit of all through the promotion of architecture. We are the professional body for architects in the region and have over 850 chartered members.

RSUA offers its collective expert view on matters of architecture and the urban design to Government and other public policy makers.

In relation to the York Street Interchange project, in 2020 RSUA engaged with Nicola Mallon, then Minister for Infrastructure, to advocate for a fundamental review of the project brief. RSUA argued that the project needed to have an urban focus rather than a vehicle movement focus. RSUA participated in the project review process that followed.