Belfast Stories

Product Information

Architecture of Belfast: (iconic and quintessential buildings) and built Heritage (tangible cultural heritage, part of human history) Visual arts initiatives: (paintings, photography, murals, digital art etc that are part of Belfast’s visual landscape) Belfast City Council’s 2018 Language Strategy aspires to create a place where linguistic diversity is celebrated and respected. It has two key purposes. Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 places a duty on all public authorities to have due regard when carrying out its business [Footnote 1] to the need to promote equality of opportunity:

Step 7 Monitoring for adverse impact in the future and publication of the results of the monitoringCross-cutting priorities, including implementing the Good Relations Strategy and developing and implementing the city’s cultural strategy, A City Imagining Footnote 7] The Audiences Agency, “Outdoor Arts Audience Report: What Audience Finder says about audiences for the Outdoor Arts”, 2018 It details how the physical building and its contents will be supported by wider programmes of storytelling and development. Consultation and Engagement Framework Complete the online survey at yoursay.belfastcity.gov.uk(link opens in new window) Making Belfast Stories for everyone There is nothing inherent in the principles underpinning the concept of the Belfast Stories to indicate an adverse impact on one or more of the Section 75 groups. Instead, the concept will follow inclusivity principles for all residents and visitors […] will bring about advantages to Belfast citizens irrespective of their identity.”

Stories will be told in the first person (that is, using words like “I” and “my”). This means that they will keep their distinctive, human and relatable voice, told from a personal point of view rather than by an official or authority. We will ask for formal approval to build Belfast Stories. The law states that we must also have a public consultation during this stage. Belfast City Council’s tourism strategy 2022(link opens in new window) places authentic, local stories as key to attracting visitors to the city. It identifies Belfast Stories as a physical home for some of these stories and the flagship investment in product development in the city: The following section considers how different people and groups across the different equality categories may engage with culture.

Equality impact and rural needs impact assessments are tools that help us understand the different needs of different groups of people, how they might be affected by what we want to do and how we could make changes to promote equal opportunities or good relations for different groups. We’ve thought about how we can reach out to people to make sure they have an opportunity to be involved in the project and tell us what they think. How you can have your say A Sustainable future: (promoting city living that contributes to a cleaner and healthier planet: repurposing spaces (e.g. creating green spaces, adaptive reuse of derelict spaces) Lord notes that “this is not an issue specific to Belfast or Northern Ireland, but rather a common issue across all cultural organisations around the globe. We also note that the organisations we have spoken to are well aware of these and are actively seeking to rebalance things.” Nevertheless, it continues that “The voices of stories that are collected [as part of Belfast Stories] should encompass inclusivity and equality in all audience groups”. Other relevant research Equality screening Our impact assessments will be available on our online consultation hub - yoursay.belfastcity.gov.uk(link opens in new window)