The Daily Telegraph carries a special report on Northern Ireland. Waterfront Hall, in Belfast’s docklands, is a potent symbol of the regeneration of Northern Ireland. It cost £32m.
Also, the leading UK supermarkets are making in-roads. Tesco bought Stewarts and Crazy Prices last month from Associate British Foods in a deal worth £630m, which sidestepped planning difficulties. Specialist retailers such as Habitat, Walt Disney, HMV and Monsoon, have recently opened in the centre of Belfast.
Projects generating nearly 2,900 jobs with an investment of £284m in West Belfast have been announced in the past 18 months. Hanny Holdings of Hong Kong and Ritek of Taiwan will spend £20m on a plant a Springvale Industrial Estate in Poleglass.
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive took over housing administration from 65 local councils in 1976 and became the biggest housing authority in the UK. It owns or manages 146,000 homes from rural cottages to inner city high-rise flats, with an annual budget of £550m.
- The Daily Telegraph 22/04/97 page 33, page 33
