Castlereagh Borough Council remains fully committed to attracting inward investment into the area. This commitment is highlighted in the following ways:—

SEARCH FOR INDUSTRIAL LAND

  Castlereagh has suffered in terms of inward investment throughout recent years, through an acute scarcity of land zoned for industrial use. The IDB, in consultation with the Council, has recently completed an Industrial Land Audit of potential sites. Whilst this audit reinforced the Council's perception that there was very limited land for industrial use, approximately 30 acres of land have been identified, which are currently owned by the private sector.

  Planning applications for these thirty acres have since been lodged and both the IDB and Castlereagh Borough Council are fully supporting the applications through the planning process. It is hoped that if approved, this additional land will go some way to alleviating the existing industrial land shortages in the Castlereagh area and thus "open the door" to further inward investment.

  With regard to securing more land, unfortunately Castlereagh falls within the remit of the Belfast Urban Area Plan 2001 (BUAP). As you will be aware, the Planning Service is committed to replacing BUAP with the more extensive Metropolitan Plan, although I would point out that the Council remains disappointed that, to date, work on this plan has not commenced.

  It is, however, the Council's intention to lobby strongly for further industrial land to be included within the Castlereagh region once this plan is being developed.

INWARD INVESTMENT BROCHURE

  Castlereagh Borough Council, through its Economic Development Partnership, has recently completed an Inward Investment Brochure to attract companies to locate within the Castlereagh Borough. This brochure has been widely distributed throughout Washington State in America, the U.K. Mainland and Northern Ireland itself.

SISTER CITIES RELATIONSHIP

  Castlereagh Borough Council has recently formalised a Sister City Relationship with the City of Kent, near Seattle in America. Representatives from the Council have visited Kent and met with a number of businesses and the Kent Chamber of Commerce. The City of Kent is currently organising a business related exchange to take place in the months of July or August 2000, whereby a number of key influential business people will be expected to visit Castlereagh.

SUMMARY

  Whilst the Council remains fully committed to securing inward investment, the lack of available sites zoned for industrial use is a deterrent to any such future inward investment. The Council feels naturally disadvantaged as it borders areas where industrial development land is plentiful and therefore feels that its economic growth and development is being unnaturally hindered by the lack of an Urban Area Plan for the Belfast region.

22 November 1999