Groups and organisations have been invited to make Belfast city centre a lot greener.

Belfast City Council has launched an initiative, offering funding to local businesses, social enterprises, charities and schools that want to help 'green' the city centre by introducing trees, plants, vegetation and flowers and encouraging biodiversity. Funding has been made available from the Department for Infrastructure.

Up to 10 sustainable greening projects in Belfast city centre could be eligible for a capital grant between £3,000 and £30,000. Further small grants between £500 and £3,000 may also be available to support future small scale city centre greening projects

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The Council is now inviting expressions of interest for the initiative.

Councillor Ryan Murphy, Chair of Belfast City Council's City Growth and Regeneration Committee, said: "We're putting out this call for Grey to Green expressions of interest to see how many Belfast groups and organisations would like to introduce trees, plants, flowers and even vegetables into our city centre, with the help of some funding – and to help identify potential locations.

"We've made a commitment in our Bolder Vision for Belfast that we'll make the city greener – to improve our quality of life, help combat pollution, make a positive contribution to our environment and encourage people to spend more time in the city centre. We'd like to hear from groups and organisations who'd be keen to help us – by installing structures to help plants grow vertically on building facades, exterior walls or hoarding, developing urban gardens in derelict sites or introducing wildlife."

There will be an online Grey to Green information session at 12:30pm on Tuesday 29 November to provide further detail and answer any questions that groups may have. To register to attend, or to request an expression of interest questionnaire, email [email protected].

The closing date for returning an expression of interest is 4pm on Monday 12 December 2022.