PLANS for a Business Improvement District in Bangor have received a major boost thanks to an £80,000 funding package.
The money, half from Stormont and half from Ards and North Down Council, will allow the steering group to design the proposal and work towards a ballot of businesses.
A Business Improvement District (BID) is a defined area within a city in which businesses come together to form a not-for-profit company with the aim of driving footfall and revenue.
Well established BIDs are currently up and running in Belfast, Ballymena and Newry.
The Bangor BID has brought together a number of local business stakeholders including Bangor Chamber of Commerce, the Court House, Seacourt Print Workshop, Boom Studios, the Fusco Group, Create Ability NI and the Northern Community Leisure Trust.
There was widespread political support when the BID proposal was discussed at a recent meeting of the council’s Place and Prosperity Committee.
In other developments, council officers have also secured a budget for the 2026/27 financial year for a potential Newtownards BID proposal, with officials set to engage with Newtownards Chamber of Trade early next year.
The process to establish a BID can take up to two years and now that funding has been secured the Bangor steering group can consult with all the stakeholders, develop a business case and organise a ballot of the businesses within the BID zone. If the BID is approved, staff will then be appointed to run it.
A report to the committee explained the steering group has established themselves as a limited company – Bangor Business Improvement District Limited – and has developed a website – www.bangorbid.com,
Once the BID is set up, all commercial ratepayers in the area will pay a levy to the BID company to fund projects which will benefit businesses in that area. The BID will be run for and by the traders who set it up, and will deliver the projects that the members want.
This can include practical initiatives such as street cleansing, graffiti removal and organising events as well as liaising with public sector bodies such as the council, the PSNI and Stormont departments.
The levy is usually up to two per cent of the rateable value of the business property; over half of eligible businesses will pay less than £200 per year, with some paying more depending on the size and value of their premises.
Backing the report brought before the committee, DUP councillor Jennifer Gilmour said there was ‘overwhelming support to see this (BID) succeed’ and she welcomed the ‘partnership’ with the Department for Communities wh provided the £40,000.
Mayor Gillian McCollum also welcomed the ‘momentum for the BID to keep going’ and said she had been ‘lucky enough’ to hear a presentation on the Enniskillen BID which had been ‘transformative’ for the town centre and traders.
Newtownards councillor Richard Smart described the DfC funding as ‘brilliant’ and said it was ‘great to see the shared vision’.
He welcomed the discussions with the Newtownards stakeholders and there was a ‘real sense of taking that forward’.
Alderman Robert Adair also praised the Bangor BID saying: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Bangor. I have seen what BIDs have done in other towns, it was particularly transformative for Ballymena, I think it is the way forward.”
