BELFAST City Council are set to hold a series of public engagement sessions across the city as part of their consultation on the Belfast Stories Project.

The public have been invited to speak to representatives from the council on October 26 in Crescent Arts Centre from 4.30pm, October 27 from 11am in City Hall and later that evening at 5pm in Áras Uí Chonghaile.

Launching the consultation, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tina Black, said: “This really is a project like no other; it will only be a success if the people of Belfast feel that it belongs to them and they can see themselves and their stories reflected.

“While our ambition is to create a world-class tourism destination, this is a very personal project for Belfast because it’s about people and their stories. These stories are priceless, and this project is about creating a home for those stories, gathering the untold tales and celebrating the unsung heroes of our city.

“It’s a really exciting project and one which is going to have massive regeneration benefits for the city and the entire region’s tourism economy.

“So, we want people to be involved from the outset, to have their say and help shape how this project is developed so that they see their input and ideas reflected in the finished product.”

The public consultation period is running until mid-November and as well as the online survey and public engagement sessions, there will also be opportunities to get a site visit and see inside the former Bank of Ireland building to hear more about the proposed plans for the site.

Information gathered from this stage of the process will help inform how the new building – its stories, screens, and public spaces can potentially work together. There will also be testing of how best to capture people’s stories for inclusion in the project.

The public consultation is not the end of the conversation and the project will continue to engage with different people and organisations to help shape Belfast Stories right up until it opens. As part of the next stage of development, from 2023 a programme will be launched to help gather stories. It is important that these stories are about the past, present and future of the city and the people who call Belfast home.

Councillor Black added: “I would say to everyone, if you don’t already know about this project, please visit the Council’s website to find out more, join in the conversations including social media, and have your say.”

The public consultation is open until November 14 and can be found on the Belfast City Council website.