Department for the Economy, Direct Grant to Belfast City Council for Belfast Stories Tourist Attraction

This subsidy is valued at £65m in the form of a direct grant contributing to the capital costs of building a new tourist attraction in Belfast city centre, “Belfast Stories”. The subsidy, which will be given between 2026 to 2032, will attract additional visitors as well as being a catalyst for the regeneration of the city centre and inner northwest area of Belfast.

Our key takeaways from the Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) report are:

• Where specific figures are given, detail should be provided as to how these were calculated or arrived at (e.g. it is stated that Belfast Stories will attract 1.5 million visitors per annum but explanation as to how this figure was arrived at should be included).
• Where there are a number of benefits to the subsidy, information should be included on each regarding how they relate to the policy objective (e.g. detail could have been included in this Assessment on how generating jobs links to the policy objective).
• It can be helpful to consider obtaining an options appraisal undertaken by independent consultants (assuming this is commensurate), but if this is done, the assessment should include updated evidence which reflects any changes made or explains fully why an earlier analysis remains relevant.

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