Good Relations Hub

In September 2016, The Executive Office (TEO) officially launched the Urban Villages Strategic Frameworks with one of the five Frameworks relating to South Belfast. Each framework was shaped by extensive community engagement which identified the specific challenges and strengths within each area. Strategic actions were then identified for each Urban Village area and specific projects and programmes were and are being progressed with key delivery partners and communities.

As part of this process, DPCE alongside community partners identified the former PSNI Station Site as a priority opportunity to regenerate the Donegall Pass and wider South Belfast Urban Village area and to enhance and enrich local community cohesion, diversity and inclusion. The re-development of the former PSNI Station Site will create a landmark Good Relations Hub which will service the local community and beyond and aims to deliver a wealth of community benefits and deliver a lasting legacy within this area of considerable need. It is envisaged that the development will include 19 units of social and low-cost housing through Clanmill Housing, childcare facilities for over 85 children delivered by the YMCA, accommodation and project space for Solas who work with young adults with learning disabilities as well as project and office space for Donegall Pass Community Enterprises and South Belfast Alternatives. Additionally, there will be a commercial and training kitchen, exhibition and community space, and office and service space for a range of local community and voluntary organisations delivering on good relations outcomes in the Belfast area.

The proposed Donegall Pass Good Relations Hub Project aims to:

• Bring the South Belfast community together, building trust and relationships and building their capacity regardless of their abilities, community background, age or ethnicity;
• Deliver a fully shared, welcoming and iconic symbol of integration and collaborative working;
• Provide multifaceted lifelong and holistic community support;
• Give local people a voice and instilling a shared, positive community identity and civic pride;
• Create a thriving beacon of sharing, tolerance and good relations within South Belfast where there was previously vacancy, dereliction and a symbol of conflict and division;
• Transform the social narrative and connotations associated with Donegall Pass and the wider South Belfast area;
• Target hard to reach and marginalised communities and those not involved in good relations projects;
• Embrace, integrate and celebrate the unique ethnic diversity within the South Belfast area;
• Engage young people and children, to promote inter-community and inter-generational links and reduce segregation;
• Contribute to reconciliation through education, dialogue, culture and commemoration as well as through the promotion of tolerance and respect;
• Challenge stereotypes of one’s own and other communities/identities;
• Bring a historically and culturally significant building back into sustainable long-term use for the benefit of the local and surrounding communities; and
• Build a strong civil society that encompasses all communities and promote a rights-based society, political stability and respect for all.

Totalling over 4,000m2, it is proposed that the Good Relations Hub will comprise of three main zones as follows:

1. A fully shared and inclusive Community Hub comprising a wide range of services and facilities for community benefit such as a flexible community exhibition space, welcoming courtyard space, meeting rooms for community use, social enterprise training café, and accommodation for a range of experienced organisations providing vital community services, guidance and support.
2. A best practice Social Economy Childcare facility focused on inclusivity and delivery of a Childcare Academy Model to provide meaningful employment and upskilling.
3. Essential social and affordable housing units to breathe life back into a declining community and contribute to meeting identified housing need.

Together, these elements aim to provide a holistic, ‘one-stop shop’ of lifelong support ranging from children, through youth interventions, direct and indirect employment and employability for people of working age, intergenerational programmes and on to housing for the elderly.

As of February 2026, the project is progressing an addendum to the business case prior to business planning and planning applications. The current time line proposes construction work beginning in 2029 with doors opening in 2031. We will provide progress updates in the News section of this website.