Botanic (District Electoral Area)

Botanic is one of the ten district electoral areas (DEA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland.[1] The district elects five members to Belfast City Council and contains the wards of Blackstaff; Central; Ormeau; Stranmillis, and Windsor.[2] Botanic, along with neighbouring Balmoral, forms the greater part of the Belfast South constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament. It covers large parts of the centre and southern parts of the city.

Botanic
Belfast City Council DEA constituency
Botanic DEA marked on a map of Belfast City Council and its wards
Current constituency
Created2014
Seats5 (2014–)
Councillors
  •   John Gormley (SF)
  •   Áine Groogan (Green Party)
  •   Tracy Kelly (DUP)
  •   Emmet McDonough-Brown (APNI)
  •   Gary McKeown (SDLP)

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, Stranmillis University College and Union Theological College. 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 Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School and the academically less demanding schools, Methodist College Belfast and the Royal Belfast Academical Institution.

Culture
Botanic Gardens

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 the Brian Friel Theatre, the Crescent Arts Centre, the Elmwood Hall, the Lyric Theatre, the Naughton Gallery at Queen's, the Queen's Film Theatre and the Ulster Museum.

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 Ulster Hall, the Ulster Orchestra and the Waterfront Hall.

Other amenities

Other noteworthy amenities in the Botanic district electoral area include:

Councillors
Election Councillor
(Party)		 Councillor
(Party)		 Councillor
(Party)		 Councillor
(Party)		 Councillor
(Party)
2020 Co-Option Emmet McDonough-Brown
(Alliance)		 John Gormley
(Sinn Féin)		 Gary McKeown
(SDLP)		 Tracy Kelly
(DUP)		 Áine Groogan
(Green Party)
2019 Deirdre Hargey
(Sinn Féin)
2017 Defection Declan Boyle
(SDLP/Independent)		 Ruth Patterson
(DUP/Independent)		 Graham Craig
(UUP/DUP)
2016 Defection
2015 Expulsion
2014

2019 Results

2014: 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUP 2019: 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Green

2014-2019 Change: Green gain from UUP

Botanic - 5 seats[3]
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234567891011
Green (NI) Áine Groogan 14.39% 1,401 1,419 1,423 1,436 1,447 1,632          
DUP Tracy Kelly 14.02% 1,365 1,389 1,498 1,498 1,579 1,582 1,665        
Sinn Féin Deirdre Hargey* † 13.61% 1,325 1,332 1,332 1,510 1,512 1,556 1,558 1,639      
Alliance Emmet McDonough-Brown* 11.74% 1,143 1,155 1,158 1,167 1,170 1,232 1,301 1,432 1,433.77 1,437.68 2,118.68
SDLP Gary McKeown 10.36% 1,009 1,020 1,021 1,039 1,042 1,091 1,119 1,363 1,363 1,372.2 1,500.12
DUP Graham Craig* 6.32% 615 633 653 653 700 702 829 878 916.35 916.58 931.17
Alliance Micky Murray 7.74% 754 755 758 762 765 786 824 902 902.59 903.97  
Independent Declan Boyle* 6.25% 609 612 613 616 623 634 663        
Ulster Unionist Richard Kennedy 3.42% 333 341 363 363 437 445          
People Before Profit Paul Loughran 3.93% 383 415 418 420 422            
South Belfast Unionists Billy Dickson 2.39% 233 247 256 256              
Sinn Féin Caitríona Mallaghan 2.35% 229 229 229                
PUP Ian Shanks 1.75% 170 178                  
Workers' Party Paddy Lynn 0.89% 87                    
TUV John Hiddleston 0.84% 82                    
Electorate: 21,987   Valid: 9,738 (44.29%)   Spoilt: 104   Quota: 1,624   Turnout: 9,842 (44.76%)  

    2014 Results

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

    Botanic - 5 seats[3]
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    1234567891011
    DUP Ruth Patterson* ‡– 14.10% 1,268 1,268 1,280 1,282 1,284 1,508          
    Alliance Emmet McDonough-Brown 9.37% 843 850 865 881 925 925 1,011 1,061 1,065 1,706  
    Sinn Féin Deirdre Hargey* 14.74% 1,326 1,343 1,346 1,370 1,377 1,378 1,393 1,479 1,483 1,520  
    SDLP Declan Boyle ‡ 10.80% 971 978 983 992 1,007 1,009 1,034 1,344 1,347 1,405 1,473.4
    Ulster Unionist Graham Craig ‡ 8.52% 766 767 795 798 808 858 897 900 1,333 1,357 1,380.6
    Green (NI) Clare Bailey 8.58% 772 792 806 860 876 879 973 994 1,010 1,141 1,253.8
    Alliance Duncan Morrow 8.55% 769 770 775 787 812 815 878 929 939    
    TUV Billy Dickson 5.66% 509 509 516 519 521 579 588 593      
    SDLP Patrick McCarthy* 5.89% 530 545 552 559 565 565 576        
    NI21 Eileen Chan-Hu 2.90% 261 264 271 278 398 400          
    PUP Ewan Suttie 3.90% 351 351 353 356 357            
    NI21 Ben Matthews 2.59% 233 235 247 254              
    Socialist Party Paddy Meehan 1.82% 164 172 173                
    NI Conservatives Ben Manton 1.39% 125 127                  
    Workers' Party Paddy Lynn 1.18% 106                    
    Electorate: 19,462   Valid: 8,994 (46.21%)   Spoilt: 192   Quota: 1,500   Turnout: 9,186 (47.20%)  

      References
      1. Final Northern Ireland super council recommendations, BBC News, 13 December 2013, accessed 24 May 2014
      2. Belfast City Council Elections, 2014, ARK, accessed 24 May 2014
      3. "Local Council Elections 2014 - Results by Stage". 22 May 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
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