Castle (District Electoral Area)

Castle District Electoral Area
Map showing Castle wards within Belfast
Area	19 km^2 (7.3 sq mi)
Population	28,290 (2008 Estimate)
– density	1,489/km^2 (3,860/sq mi)
District	Belfast City Council
County	County Antrim
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	Belfast North
NI Assembly	North Belfast
List of places UK Northern Ireland Antrim

Castle is one of the ten district electoral areas in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located in the north of the city, the district elects six members to Belfast City Council and contains the wards of Bellevue, Cavehill, Chichester Park, Duncairn, Fortwilliam and Innisfayle. Castle, along with the neighbouring Court and Oldpark districts and parts of Newtownabbey Borough Council, forms the Belfast North constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament. The district is bound to the east by the Victoria Channel, to the north by Newtownabbey Borough Council and Belfast Lough, to the south by North Street and to the west by the Cavehill Road and Oldpark Road.

The district takes its name from Belfast Castle which is located on Cavehill in the north of the district, while the southern section of the district is part of the city centre and forms one of the Belfast's main cultural areas, known as the Cathedral Quarter. The east of the area also contains the Port of Belfast. Castle is served by the M2 and M5 motorways and the Yorkgate railway station.

Castle is one of the most mixed areas in the city, with just over half of the district's population being Protestant at the 2001 Census. This has resulted in the construction of a number of peace lines, for example along the Whitewell Road.

History

Castle was created for the 1985 local elections. All six wards came from the former Area H, with only the Cliftonville ward and northern section of the Waterworks ward omitted from the new district. One of the district's six wards, Castleview, was renamed Innisfayle in 2014.

Amenities

Cavehill

• Albert Memorial Clock
• Belfast Castle
• Belfast Central Library
• Belfast Exposed photographic gallery
• Belfast Harbour
• Belfast Hebrew Congregation
• Belfast Zoo
• Cavehill
• Dividers Sculpture
• Giant's Park
• McHugh's Bar
• Merchant Hotel
• The Northern Whig Bar
• NvTv (Northern Visions Television)
• Obel Tower
• St Anne’s Cathedral (Church of Ireland)
• The Big Fish, sculpture

Sport

• Seaview, Crusaders F.C. home ground
• Skegoneill Avenue, Brantwood F.C. home ground

Education

• Castle High School
• Dominican College
• Hazelwood College
• Seaview Primary School
• St Patrick's College
• University of Ulster, Belfast Campus

Wards

Belfast Castle

Map	Ward	Population (2011 Census)	Catholic	Protestant	Other	No Religion	Area	Density	NI Assembly	UK Parliament	Ref
1	Bellevue	4,910	63.7%	29.3%	1.1%	6%	2.96 km^2	1,659/km^2	Belfast North	Belfast North	[1]
2	Castleview	4,722	38.1%	54.2%	1.2%	6.5%	1.41 km^2	3,349/km^2	Belfast North	Belfast North	[2]
3	Cavehill	4,820	57.1%	37.7%	0.9%	4.3%	3.41 km^2	1,413/km^2	Belfast North	Belfast North	[3]
4	Chichester Park	5,452	74.3%	17.2%	1.6%	6.9%	0.95 km^2	5,739/km^2	Belfast North	Belfast North	[4]
5	Duncairn	4,901	23.6%	63.9%	2.2%	10.3	9.24 km^2	530/km^2	Belfast North	Belfast North	[5]
6	Fortwilliam	4,561	41.3%	50.3%	1.2%	7.2%	1.03 km^2	4,428/km^2	Belfast North	Belfast North	[6]
Castle		29,366	50.3%	41.5%	1.4%	6.9%	19 km^2	1,546/km^2

Councillors

The Big Fish sculpture

Election	Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)
2014		Nuala McAllister (Alliance)		Lydia Patterson (DUP)		David Browne (UUP)		Mary Campbell (Sinn Féin)		Pat Convery (SDLP)		Guy Spence (DUP)
2011		Tierna Cunningham (Sinn Féin)
2005				Nigel Dodds (DUP)				Cathal Mullaghan (SDLP)				Ian Crozier (DUP)
2001		Danny Lavery (Sinn Féin)						Alban Maginness (SDLP)
1997										Tom Campbell (Alliance)		Nelson McCausland (UUP)
1993		Jonathan Stephenson (SDLP)								John Carson (UUP)		Nelson McCausland (Independent Unionist)
1989		Tom Campbell (Alliance)				Frank Millar (Independent Unionist)
1985												Alfie Redpath (UUP)

2011 Elections

Albert Memorial Clock, Custom House Square

See also: Results of elections in 2011; 2005; 2001; 1997; 1993; 1989 and 1985.

Belfast City Council elections, 2011[7]
Party		Candidate	1st Pref
	DUP	Lydia Patterson	1,489
	Sinn Féin	Tierna Cunningham	1,377
	SDLP	Pat Convery	1,367
	Sinn Féin	Mary Campbell	1,293
	UUP	David Browne	1,181
	DUP	Guy Spence	946
	SDLP	Cathal Mullaghan	883
	Alliance	David McKechnie	689
	DUP	Lee Reynolds	629
	Workers' Party	John Lavery	170
Turnout			10,024
	Sinn Féin gain from Social Democratic and Labour

See also

• Belfast City Council
• Electoral wards of Belfast
• Local government in Northern Ireland
• Members of Belfast City Council

References

1. "Ward Information for Bellevue ward 95GG08". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
2. "Ward Information for Castleview ward 95GG13". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
3. "Ward Information for Cavehill ward 95GG14". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
4. "Ward Information for Chichester Park ward 95GG16". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
5. "Ward Information for Duncairn ward 95GG20". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
6. "Ward Information for Fortwilliam ward 95GG24". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
7. Elections 2011: Castle, Belfast City Council