Victoria (District Electoral Area)

Victoria was one of the nine district electoral areas (DEA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, from 1985 to 2014, when it was mostly replaced by the Ormiston district.[1]

Victoria
District Electoral Area
Map showing Victoria wards within Belfast
Area20.2 km2 (7.8 sq mi)
Population36,607 (2008 Estimate)
• Density1,812/km2 (4,690/sq mi)
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Down

Located in the east of the city, the district elected seven members to Belfast City Council and contained the wards of Ballyhackamore; Belmont; Cherryvalley; Island; Knock; Stormont; and Sydenham. Victoria, along with wards from the neighbouring Pottinger district and Castlereagh Borough Council, formed the Belfast East constituency for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament.

The district was bounded to the west by the Victoria Channel, to the north by Belfast Lough, to the northeast by North Down Borough Council, to the south and east by Castlereagh Borough Council and to the southwest by the Newtownards Road.

History

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The DEA was created for the 1985 local elections as the successor to the former Area B, which all seven wards in the new Victoria had been part of. An eighth ward, Bloomfield, which had been in Area B, was placed in the new Pottinger electoral area. It was abolished in 2015, making way for the new DEAs that were used for the 2014 local elections. It was largely replaced by the new Ormiston District Electoral Area. Five of Victoria's wards joined Ormiston, with the Sydenham ward and the areas which had been part of the abolished Island ward becoming part of the new Titanic District Electoral Area.[2]

The district contained many key pieces of Belfast's transport infrastructure, including George Best Belfast City Airport and the eastern portion of Belfast Harbour. The area is served by the Bridge End and Sydenham railway stations and the A2 and A20 major road routes. The district is also home to Parliament Buildings, the meeting place of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Victoria was once the site of much of Belfast's heavy industrial manufacturing facilities, however these have suffered a significant decline since the mid-twentieth century, although companies such as Short Brothers and Harland and Wolff continue to have significant operations in the area.

Former BCDR mainline

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The Belfast and County Down Railway had a mainline through Knock railway station which linked Belfast direct to Downpatrick railway station as well as to Newcastle, County Down, there was also the branch from Comber railway station to Newtownards and Donaghadee. The mainline opened in 1850 was closed in 1950 by the Ulster Transport Authority.

Titanic-quarter

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The Titanic Quarter is a major economic and cultural regeneration programme that is centred on Queen's Island and the former Harland and Wolff shipyard. The project has seen the construction of new hotels, apartment blocks and business facilities, with a number of high-profile relocations, including the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. The area has also become a centre for learning and research with the opening of the Catalyst Inc, in addition to Belfast Metropolitan College moving one of its key city centre campuses to the Quarter, while Queen's University Belfast have also located their Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) within the Science Park. The Quarter's name comes from the RMS Titanic which was constructed in the old shipyard, with a number of projects aimed at exploiting the tourism value of the Titanic's connection to Belfast, including the Samson and Goliath cranes used to construct the ship and the Paint Hall.

Other amenities

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The RMS Titanic, built in Belfast by Harland and Wolff.

Other amenities in the Victoria district electoral area include:

Wards

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Parliament Buildings, Stormont
Map Ward Population
(2011 Census)
Catholic Protestant Other No Religion Area Density NI Assembly UK Parliament Ref
1 Ballyhackamore 5,939 17.2% 68.2% 1.9% 12.7% 1.15 km2 5,164 /km2 Belfast East Belfast East [3]
2 Belmont 6,165 8.6% 80.6% 1% 9.8% 1.79 km2 3,444 /km2 Belfast East Belfast East [4]
3 Cherryvalley 5,920 14.5% 75.3% 0.8% 9.4% 1.99 km2 2,975 /km2 Belfast East Belfast East [5]
4 Island 5,014 13.9% 69.8% 4.6% 11.8% 3.81 km2 1,316 /km2 Belfast East Belfast East [6]
5 Knock 4,827 9.1% 79.7% 1.2% 10% 1.12 km2 4,310 /km2 Belfast East Belfast East [7]
6 Stormont 5,548 12.9% 75.6% 1.3% 10.2% 7.04 km2 788 /km2 Belfast East Belfast East [8]
7 Sydenham 4,874 9.9% 76% 1.8% 12.3% 6.24 km2 781 /km2 Belfast East Belfast East [9]
Victoria 38,287 12.4% 75% 1.7% 10.8% 23.14 km2 1,655 /km2

Councillors

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Odyssey Arena, a major entertainment complex
Election Councillor
(Party)
Councillor
(Party)
Councillor
(Party)
Councillor
(Party)
Councillor
(Party)
Councillor
(Party)
Councillor
(Party)
2011 Mervyn Jones
(Alliance)
Laura McNamee
(Alliance)
Andrew Webb
(Alliance)
Jim Rodgers
(UUP)
Tom Haire
(DUP)
John Hussey
(DUP)
Robin Newton
(DUP)
2005 Naomi Long
(Alliance)
Ian Adamson
(UUP)
David Rodway
(DUP)
Wallace Browne
(DUP)
2001 David Alderdice
(Alliance)
Alan Crowe
(UUP)/ (Independent Unionist)
1997 Danny Dow
(Alliance)
1993 John Alderdice
(Alliance)
Tommy Patton
(UUP)
1989 Alan Montgomery
(UUP)
1985 Oliver Napier
(Alliance)
George Thompson
(Alliance)
William Corry
(UUP)
Dorothy Dunlop
(UUP)

2011 Election

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2005: 3 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance

2011: 3 x Alliance, 3 x DUP, 1 x UUP

2005-2011 Change: Alliance gain from UUP

Victoria - 7 seats[10]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DUP Robin Newton* 16.62% 2,338                  
Alliance Mervyn Jones* 16.49% 2,319                  
Alliance Laura McNamee 11.92% 1,677 1,686.5 2,049.14              
Alliance Andrew Webb 8.08% 1,137 1,143 1,293.48 1,541.24 1,552.24 1,592.1 1,604.1 1,895.1    
UUP Jim Rodgers* 9.63% 1,355 1,401.5 1,407.98 1,418.81 1,437.81 1,451.62 1,488.87 1,639.24 1,657.24 1,816.24
DUP Tom Haire 10.22% 1,437 1,555.5 1,558.62 1,562.04 1,565.04 1,568.53 1,584.97 1,617.21 1,622.21 1,759.21
DUP John Hussey 5.77% 812 1,149 1,151.64 1,154.11 1,158.11 1,166.36 1,184.86 1,210.54 1,217.54 1,476.12
UUP Ian Adamson* 6.70% 942 955.25 962.69 967.25 989.5 1,003.69 1,028.19 1,112.99 1,131.9 1,228.49
PUP Robert McCartney 6.46% 908 926.75 930.59 932.68 938.68 946.87 963.37 1,005.54 1,028.54  
Green (NI) Ross Campbell 2.24% 315 317.25 322.53 325.95 334.14 353.14 359.14      
UUP Stephen Warke 1.54% 216 222.5 224.42 226.32 232.51 237.51 246.51      
SDLP Magdalena Wolska 1.47% 207 207.5 211.58 215.76 217.76 222 223      
TUV Sammy Morrison 1.12% 158 160.25 160.25 161.01 162.01 175.01        
Independent Roy Hobson 1.01% 142 143.75 145.43 147.14 158.39          
NI Conservatives Garry Crosbie 0.73% 103 103.5 103.5 104.07            
Electorate: 25,814   Valid: 14,066 (54.49%)   Spoilt: 280   Quota: 1,759   Turnout: 14,346 (55.57%)  

2005 Election

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2001: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Alliance

2005: 3 x DUP, 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance

2001-2005 Change: DUP gain from UUP

Victoria - 7 seats[11]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
DUP Wallace Browne* 18.60% 2,689            
Alliance Naomi Long* 17.74% 2,565            
UUP Jim Rodgers* 16.88% 2,441            
DUP Robin Newton* 13.86% 2,004            
UUP Ian Adamson* 12.98% 1,877            
DUP David Rodway 5.01% 725 1,527.4 1,549.72 1,635.12 1,810.52    
Alliance Mervyn Jones 5.61% 811 815.42 1,421.47 1,456.75 1,458.85 1,461.82 1,838.82
UUP Alan Crowe* 3.17% 459 508.98 582.76 1,041.76 1,050.86 1,099.16 1,366.16
SDLP John Ó Doherty 2.35% 340 343.4 374.09 379.69 379.99 380.14  
PUP John McQuillan 2.10% 303 310.82 321.36 337.88 340.38 340.89  
NI Conservatives Peter Gray 1.68% 243 252.52 265.23 287.35 288.45 289.53  
Electorate: 25,058   Valid: 14,457 (57.69%)   Spoilt: 349   Quota: 1,808   Turnout: 14,806 (59.09%)  

2001 Election

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1997: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 2 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist

2001: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Alliance

1997-2001 Change: Independent Unionist joins UUP

Victoria - 7 seats[12]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
UUP Ian Adamson* 19.43% 3,286                
Alliance David Alderdice* 18.45% 3,119                
DUP Wallace Browne* 14.74% 2,492                
UUP Jim Rodgers* 13.73% 2,322                
UUP Alan Crowe* 3.44% 582 1,569.16 1,716.04 1,727.89 1,858.75 1,881.65 2,011.63 2,194.63  
Alliance Naomi Long 4.31% 729 776.36 1,399.58 1,401.23 1,407.62 1,416.83 1,702.74 1,792.2 2,017.89
DUP Robin Newton* 8.69% 1,469 1,492.31 1,516.45 1,636 1,658.41 1,678.71 1,702.85 1,810.58 1,955.77
DUP Margaret McKenzie 4.63% 783 811.12 826.76 1,045.16 1,059.29 1,076.49 1,111.65 1,226.47 1,426.49
Independent Danny Dow* 4.41% 746 758.58 816.04 823.39 830.77 857.54 890.67 996.7  
PUP Robert Moorhead 4.12% 697 715.87 736.27 739.87 745.72 761.15 795.85    
SDLP Ciara Farren 1.80% 305 310.18 383.62 383.77 384.76 390.78      
NI Conservatives Peter Gray 1.41% 239 261.57 284.35 286.45 291.76 301.92      
Independent Sammy Walker 0.67% 114 123.25 130.39 130.39 133.36        
Independent Billy Hands 0.09% 15 16.48 17.84 17.84 18.02        
Independent Lawrence John 0.06% 11 12.11 14.15 14.15 14.24        
Electorate: 28,160   Valid: 17,468 (62.03%)   Spoilt: 559   Quota: 2,114   Turnout: 16,909 (60.05%)  

1997 Election

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1993: 3 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 2 x DUP

1997: 2 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 2 x DUP, 1 x Independent Unionist

1993-1997 Change: Independent Unionist gain from UUP

Victoria - 7 seats[13]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Alliance David Alderdice 18.87% 2,419                
UUP Ian Adamson* 18.46% 2,367                
Alliance Danny Dow* 7.99% 1,024 1,609.14              
UUP Jim Rodgers* 11.76% 1,508 1,532.14 1,921.58            
DUP Wallace Browne* 11.58% 1,485 1,498.94 1,564.54 1,569.22 1,590.52 1,747.52      
DUP Robin Newton* 8.08% 1,036 1,044.5 1,052.82 1,055.94 1,070.52 1,336.04 1,477.94 1,522.22 1,658.22
Ind. Unionist Alan Crowe 4.05% 519 544.16 710.24 736.5 803.68 831.18 1,023.4 1,237.5 1,242.5
PUP John McQuillan 7.14% 915 924.86 937.98 940.32 956.96 1,001.88 1,040.16 1,149.92 1,151.92
Alliance Glyn Roberts 4.31% 553 675.74 698.78 702.94 761.48 771.26 842.62    
UUP Peter Weir 1.50% 192 196.76 245.72 509.88 569.64 582.76      
DUP Margaret McKenzie 4.08% 523 524.36 533 535.08 558.74        
NI Conservatives Lesley Donaldson 2.00% 256 270.96 293.04 295.9          
Natural Law Thomas Mullins 0.19% 25 27.38 27.7 27.96          
Electorate: 28,936   Valid: 12,822 (44.31%)   Spoilt: 351   Quota: 1,603   Turnout: 13,173 (45.52%)  

1993 Election

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1989: 3 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 2 x DUP

1993: 3 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 2 x DUP

1989-1993 Change: No change

Victoria - 7 seats[14]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Alliance John Alderdice* 24.67% 3,337                
DUP Wallace Browne* 15.92% 2,153                
UUP Thomas Patton* 13.31% 1,801                
DUP Robin Newton* 12.78% 1,729                
UUP Ian Adamson* 9.73% 1,316 1,395.56 1,547.81 1,564.23 1,686.5 1,880.5      
Alliance Danny Dow* 4.08% 552 1,543.44 1,564.9 1,642.89 1,661.29 1,761.29      
UUP Jim Rodgers 4.44% 600 631.62 749.07 757.18 1,091.36 1,274.11 1,408.11 1,560.65 1,510.25
Alliance Maureen McConnell 5.68% 768 1,159.68 1,169.54 1,220.19 1,226.21 1,368.9 1,387.9 1,393.92 1,454.4
NI Conservatives Jim McCormick 5.06% 684 759.99 784.93 807.3 828.13        
UUP John Norris 3.01% 407 435.56 554.17 561.97          
Green (NI) Michael Bell 1.33% 180 218.76 225.72            
Electorate: 29,632   Valid: 13,527 (45.65%)   Spoilt: 360   Quota: 1,691   Turnout: 13,887 (46.86%)  

1989 Election

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1985: 3 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 2 x DUP

1989: 3 x UUP, 2 x Alliance, 2 x DUP

1985-1989 Change: No change

Victoria - 7 seats[15]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6
Alliance John Alderdice 21.67% 2,933          
UUP Thomas Patton* 21.02% 2,845          
UUP Ian Adamson 12.78% 1,730          
DUP Wallace Browne* 10.15% 1,374 1,407.97 1,512.97 1,523.34 1,585.51 1,890.51
DUP Robin Newton* 8.65% 1,171 1,177.88 1,274.06 1,287.33 1,346.33 1,644.33
Alliance Danny Dow 5.41% 732 1,405.38 1,475.94 1,617.36 1,685.17 1,696.17
UUP Alan Montgomery 5.67% 767 821.61 1,496.55 1,521.91 1,641.98 1,692.98
Alliance George Thompson* 3.94% 533 937.2 963.66 1,041.39 1,110.23 1,117.23
DUP Irene Lewis 4.93% 667 685.49 776.63 786.05 846.22  
Ind. Unionist Samuel Walker 3.32% 449 469.64 520.46 555.74    
Workers' Party Hugh Jordan 2.46% 333 359.23 378.97      
Electorate: 30,508   Valid: 13,534 (44.36%)   Spoilt: 367   Quota: 1,692   Turnout: 13,901 (45.57%)  

1985 Election

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1985: 3 x UUP, 2 x DUP, 2 x Alliance

Victoria - 7 seats[16]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
DUP Wallace Browne 22.22% 3,447            
UUP Thomas Patton* 15.41% 2,390            
Alliance Oliver Napier* 14.89% 2,309            
UUP William Corry* 11.85% 1,838 1,985.4          
UUP Dorothy Dunlop 8.80% 1,365 1,425.28 1,595.14 1,596.58 1,619.62 2,282.62  
Alliance George Thompson 8.23% 1,278 1,289.88 1,312.68 1,457.68 1,775.92 1,844.14 1,918.01
DUP Robin Newton 3.64% 564 1,611.64 1,636.15 1,640.03 1,644.03 1,772.26 1,910.87
DUP Samuel Walker 7.29% 1,131 1,330.76 1,400.49 1,401.68 1,408.72 1,579.34 1,708.82
UUP John McCrea 6.46% 1,002 1,033.68 1,175.61 1,176.61 1,186.53    
SDLP Barry Gilheany 1.21% 188 189.76 190.33        
Electorate: 30,776   Valid: 15,512 (50.40%)   Spoilt: 427   Quota: 1,940   Turnout: 15,939 (51.79%)  

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Final Northern Ireland super council recommendations, BBC News, 13 December 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014
  2. ^ Map Archived 5 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine from the District Electoral Areas Commissioner Maps page Archived 5 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine. See District Electoral Areas Commissioner page Archived 5 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Ward Information for Ballyhackamore ward 95GG03". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  4. ^ "Ward Information for Belmont ward 95GG09". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  5. ^ "Ward Information for Cherryvalley ward 95GG15". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  6. ^ "Ward Information for Island ward 95GG29". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Ward Information for Knock ward 95GG30". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Ward Information for Stormont ward 95GG41". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  9. ^ "Ward Information for Sydenham ward 95GG43". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  10. ^ "Victoria Result Sheet" (PDF). EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Local Government Results 2005". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Local Government Results 2001". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Local Government Results 1997". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Local Government Results 1993". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Local Government Results 1989". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Local Government Results 1985". EONI. Retrieved 8 July 2021.