When tasked with creating a roadmap to support Belfast’s heritage sector, we looked to the sector itself for insights and guidance.

We undertook an audit of Belfast's heritage sector on behalf of Belfast City Council (BCC), who were keen to ‘increase knowledge and understanding of heritage in the city to ensure that development and investment programmes better recognise the important role that heritage plays’.

We began with a scoping exercise into best practice heritage plans from other cities and regions. This provided a solid foundation and comparative benchmarks. Our engagement process adhered to Belfast City Council’s best practice principles and standards as outlined in the Consultation and Engagement Framework (2020). This ensured that our methods were not only inclusive and comprehensive but also aligned with established standards.

To gather diverse perspectives from local heritage practitioners, we established multiple channels for participation: One to one meetings helped set the scene, and established strategic partnerships for the engagement programme;  An online survey allowed individuals to self-identify their organizations and projects as part of the sector, offering a broad overview of the current landscape; Deep dive workshops, conducted across the city, facilitated in-depth discussions and collaborative problem-solving.

During workshops, we took a creative approach, inspired by the Derry Girl’s Blackboard (which has been acquired by the Ulster Museum). Workshop participants were invited to make their own blackboards to record and map key strengths and weaknesses that impact the sector. These solution focused workshops created opportunities for informal networking and spurred lively debate on the priorities essential for a sustainable heritage sector.