Botanic is one of the ten district electoral areas (DEA) in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, Northern Ireland. The district elects five members to

Belfast City Council Belfast City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhéal Feirste) is the local authority with responsibility for part of the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of (), the ...

and contains the wards of Blackstaff; Central; Ormeau; Stranmillis and Windsor.Belfast City Council Elections, 2014
ARK, accessed 24 May 2014 Botanic, along with neighbouring Balmoral, forms the greater part of the Belfast South constituencies for the

Northern Ireland Assembly sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie , legislature = Seventh Assembly , coa_pic = File:NI_Assembly.svg , coa_res = 250px , house_type = Unicameral , house1 = , leader1_type = S ...

and

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

. It covers large parts of the centre and southern parts of the city. It was created for the 2014 local elections, largely replacing the Laganbank District Electoral Area, which had existed since 1985. The DEA is named after Belfast's Botanic Gardens.

Education

Botanic is the location for several of the city's most important education establishments, including

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

Stranmillis University College Stranmillis University College is a university college of Queen's University Belfast. The institution is located on the Stranmillis Road in Belfast. It had students in . The school offers the BEd, PGCE and TESOL, as well as other courses. Hi ...

and

Union Theological College ''This page is about a college in Northern Ireland. For institutions with similar names, see Union Theological Seminary and Union School of Theology'' , mottoeng = ''“Buy the truth and sell it not”'' (taken from Proverbs 23:23) , establ ...

, as well as the College Square campus of

Belfast Metropolitan College Belfast Metropolitan College, also known as ''Belfast Met'', is a further and higher education institution in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The college offers both vocational education and academic qualifications. With over 37,000 enrolments and ...

. The location of these institutions in close proximity saw the area's popularity among students increase, particularly in the Holyland area. The area is also home to some of the most prominent schools, including

Methodist College Belfast God with us , established = 1865 , type = Voluntary grammar , religion = Interdenominational , principal = Jenny Lendrum , chair_label = Chairwoman , chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth , founder ...

and the

Royal Belfast Academical Institution The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

Culture

Flower bed, Botanic Gardens, Belfast - geograph

The portion of Botanic to the west of the River Lagan based around Queen's University, forms the Queen's Quarter, and contains many of the key cultural facilities within the city. The Quarter is home to the

Belfast Festival at Queen's Belfast International Arts Festival, formerly known as Belfast Festival at Queen’s, claims to be the city’s longest running international arts event. Originally established in 1962, it was hosted by Queen’s University until 2015, after whi ...

, the largest annual arts festival in Ireland, as well as amenities such as the Botanic Gardens, the

Brian Friel Theatre The Brian Friel Theatre is a studio theatre located at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was opened in February 2009 and is named after the Irish dramatist, theatre director and author, Brian Friel. The Theatre is part of the Uni ...

, the

Crescent Arts Centre The Crescent Arts Centre (or simply The Crescent) is an arts centre based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, founded in 1980. The centre hosts a wide range of arts and entertainment events, as well as classes in dance, music, verbal and visual arts, ...

, the

Elmwood Hall Elmwood Hall is a concert hall and former Presbyterian Church on University Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Walker, Brian M.; Dixon, Hugh (1984). ''In Belfast Town, 1864-1880: Early Photographs from the Lawrence Collection''. Belfast: Friar's ...

, the Lyric Theatre, the

Naughton Gallery at Queen's The Naughton Gallery at Queen's, also known as The Naughton Gallery, is an art gallery and museum at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland. Opened in 2001, the gallery is named after its benefactors, Martin and Carmel Naughton, who donated ...

, the

Queen's Film Theatre The Queen's Film Theatre or QFT is an independent cinema at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland founded in 1968. When first opened, the Queen’s Film Theatre focused mainly on art house, indie and world cinema, playing an important role ...

and the

Ulster Museum The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres (90,000 sq. ft.) of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasure ...

. As well as the Queen's Quarter, there are a number of important cultural attractions within the wider DEA section of the city centre, including the Grand Opera House, the

Linen Hall Library The Linen Hall Library is located at 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the oldest library in Belfast and the last subscribing library in Northern Ireland. The Library is physically in the centre of Belfast, and more ...

, the

Ormeau Baths Gallery The Ormeau Baths in Belfast, Northern Ireland, now a home to tech and digital businesses in a modern contemporary building, was one of Ireland's premier contemporary art spaces. It curated exhibitions by prominent international artists includ ...

, the

Ulster Hall The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade A listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, classical recitals, craft fairs and political party conferences. History ...

, the

Ulster Orchestra The Ulster Orchestra, based in Belfast, is the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall. It also gives concerts across the United K ...

and the Waterfront Hall. This area is also sometimes referred to as the Golden Mile because of the large number of bars, clubs and restaurants located there.

Other amenities

Other noteworthy amenities in the Botanic district electoral area include: * Belfast Central, Botanic,

Great Victoria Street Great Victoria Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a major thoroughfare located in the city centre and is one of the important streets used by pedestrians alighting from Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station and walking into shopping ...

and City Hospital railway stations *

Belfast City Hall Belfast City Hall ( ga, Halla na Cathrach Bhéal Feirste; Ulster-Scots: ''Bilfawst Citie Haw'') is the civic building of Belfast City Council located in Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It faces North and effectively divides the com ...

Belfast City Hospital The Belfast City Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Chathair Bhéal Feirste) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a 900-bed modern university teaching hospital providing local acute services and key regional specialities. Its distinctive orange tower block d ...

Broadcasting House Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. The ma ...

(

BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland ( ga, BBC Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ''BBC Norlin Airlan'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of I ...

) * Crown Liquor Saloon * Europa Hotel * Havelock House ( UTV) * Queen's University Belfast Students' Union *

Royal Courts of Justice The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is a court building in Westminster which houses the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The High Court also sits on circuit and in other major cities. Designed by Ge ...

St George's Market St George's Market is the last surviving Victorian covered market in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located on May Street, close to the River Lagan and the Waterfront Hall. Belfast Corporation (now Belfast City Council) commissioned the buil ...

* St Malachy's Church *

Victoria Square Shopping Centre Victoria Square is a shopping and leisure complex located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The area includes over 70 shops, several restaurants and the Odeon cinema. Opened on 6 March 2008, Victoria Square is a commercial, residential and leisure ...

* Windsor House

Councillors

2019 Results

2014: 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Sinn Fein, 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUP 2019: 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Sinn Fein, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Green 2014-2019 Change: Green gain from UUP

2014 Results

2014: 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Sinn Fein, 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUP

References

{{Belfast City Council Electoral wards of Belfast 2014 establishments in Northern Ireland