To ask the Minister for Communities for an update on work with Belfast City Council to develop the Girdwood mixed-use site.

I welcome the strong cross-party support for the development of this strategically important site in North Belfast. The redevelopment of the Girdwood Mixed-use site remains a key priority for my department, and I am keen to ensure that it is brought into productive use as soon as possible.

My officials have been engaging closely with Belfast City Council, with a shared objective of exploring the best way to deliver a communityfocused redevelopment of the entire site.

The current focus of these discussions is to develop a delivery model that will allow redevelopment to move forward at pace, while ensuring that any proposals are viable, compliant and capable of delivering long-term regeneration benefits.

Regular monthly meetings between my officials and Belfast City Council are taking place.

Both organisations recognise the strategic importance of the location and the need for any future development to be financially viable, focused on local needs and responsive to community expectations.

Following legal advice, officials are now progressing the next phase of work, which will include updating previous interested parties and outlining the next steps in the process. This will ensure that proposals for the development of the site are invited and assessed through an open and transparent process, with the aim securing a high-quality proposal that meets the Department’s regeneration objectives for the local area.

It is essential that redevelopment of this important site is progressed in a manner that maximises longterm regeneration outcomes, delivers meaningful benefits for the local community, and enables the site to be used effectively at the earliest appropriate opportunity.