Green Party Councillor Áine Groogan updates after meeting Castlebrooke

Cllr Groogan said "I want to thank everyone who shared their comments & questions in relation to Castlebrooke with me. There is clearly a huge public interest in the Cathedral Quarter area of our city & it's a source of deep frustration that all we have seen to date is further dereliction & decay."

"While it wasn't appearing before a Committee session as I had originally proposed I appreciate, however, Castlebrooke taking the time to meet with me yesterday. It was a frank & open conversation & I hope it is not the last one that we have. I have reiterated that my immediate priority is the listed buildings in their site ownership & the need to properly secure & protect them for future generations."

"Our built heritage is invaluable & anyone proposing to develop in Belfast must demonstrate that they respect that. I hope that they have heard me loud & clear on this & I look forward to further engagement to ensure that appropriate remedial action is forthcoming."

"We spoke at length about the plans for the site & I was very clear about my views on this, as I have been from the start. I hope that we will see positive moves following their engagement with political parties this week & that Castlebrooke appreciate that we as Greens will not be standing by while huge swathes of our city centre remain in essence abandoned."

"Our commitment to the fightback for this city is steadfast, as part of the Green Party's ambition for a Greener, Cleaner and Fairer Belfast, I hope Castlebrooke are up to meeting our expectations going forward."

ENDS