Botanic (District Electoral Area)

Botanic

Belfast City Council DEA constituency

Botanic DEA marked on a map of Belfast City Council and its wards

Current constituency
Created| 2014
Seats| 5 (2014–)
Councillors|

* Áine Groogan (GPNI)
* Tracy Kelly (DUP)
* Emmet McDonough-Brown (APNI)
* Conor McKay (SF)
* Gary McKeown (SDLP)

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.

It was created for the 2014 local elections, largely replacing the Laganbank DEA, which had existed since 1985. The DEA is named after Belfast's Botanic Gardens.

## Education

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Other noteworthy amenities in the Botanic district electoral area include:

* Belfast Grand Central, Botanic, Belfast Lanyon Place and City Hospital railway stations
* Belfast City Hall
* Belfast City Hospital
* Broadcasting House (BBC Northern Ireland)
* Crown Liquor Saloon
* Europa Hotel
* Queen's University Belfast Students' Union
* Royal Courts of Justice
* St George's Market
* St Malachy's Church
* Victoria Square Shopping Centre

## Councillors

[edit]

Election  | Councillor
(Party)  | Councillor
(Party)  | Councillor
(Party)  | Councillor
(Party)  | Councillor
(Party)

|
|
|
|
|

February 2024 Co-Option |  | Conor McKay
(Sinn Féin)  |  | Gary McKeown
(SDLP)  |  | Emmet McDonough-Brown
(Alliance)  |  | Áine Groogan
(Green Party)  |  | Tracy Kelly
(DUP)
2023 | John Gormley
(Sinn Féin)
January 2020 Co-Option
2019 | Deirdre Hargey
(Sinn Féin)
June 2017 Defection |  | Declan Boyle
(SDLP)/
(Independent)  |  | Ruth Patterson
(DUP)/
(Independent)  | Graham Craig
(DUP)/
(UUP)
October 2016 Defection |
November 2015 Defection |
2014 |

## 2023 Results

[edit]

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

2023: 1 x Sinn Féin, 1 x DUP, 1 x SDLP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Green

2019–2023 Change: No change

Botanic - 5 seats[3] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

|
|
|

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| SDLP | Gary McKeown* | 17.76%  | 1,881 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| DUP | Tracy Kelly* | 12.95%  | 1,372  | 1,372.42  | 1,382.48  | 1,525.54  | 1,529.54  | 1,717.90  | 2,342.90 |  |
| Alliance | Emmet McDonough-Brown* | 10.25%  | 1,086  | 1,118.94  | 1,144.48  | 1,150.48  | 1,182.02  | 1,263.56  | 1,275.62  | 1,298.62  | 1,951.62
| Sinn Féin | John Gormley* †  | 14.47%  | 1,533  | 1,543.80  | 1,560.22  | 1,562.22  | 1,584.28  | 1,587.34  | 1,588.46  | 1,591.46  | 1,602.18
| Green (NI) | Áine Groogan* | 9.50%  | 1,006  | 1,023.88  | 1,080.66  | 1,089.72  | 1,299.68  | 1,343.16  | 1,355.16  | 1,394.16  | 1,544.34
| Sinn Féin | Emma-Jane Faulkner  | 9.89%  | 1,048  | 1,061.08  | 1,081.44  | 1,087.50  | 1,127.86  | 1,132.92  | 1,135.92  | 1,135.92  | 1,157.06
| Alliance | Chris Ogle  | 6.87%  | 728  | 754.76  | 768.42  | 772.42  | 821.90  | 880.44  | 895.50  | 912.50  |
| DUP | Darren Leighton  | 6.13%  | 649  | 649.24  | 656.30  | 708.30  | 709.36  | 765.36  |  |  |
| UUP | Jeffrey Dudgeon | 3.59%  | 380  | 381.98  | 399.16  | 477.28  | 484.34  |  |  |  |
| People Before Profit | Sipho Sibanda  | 2.91%  | 308  | 310.58  | 406.88  | 408.88  |  |  |  |  |
| TUV | Billy Dickson | 2.95%  | 312  | 312.30  | 316.36  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Socialist Party | Neil Moore  | 1.41%  | 149  | 150.68  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Workers' Party | Paddy Lynn  | 0.84%  | 89  | 90.62  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| NI Conservatives | Idris Maiga  | 0.49%  | 52  | 52.66  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electorate: 23,049  Valid: 10,593 (45.96%)  Spoilt: 162  Quota: 1,766  Turnout: 10,755 (46.66%)

## 2019 Results

[edit]

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[4] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

|
|
|

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
| 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  |  |  |  |
| UUP | 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

[edit]

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

Botanic - 5 seats[4] Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count

|
|
|

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
| 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
| UUP | 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

[edit]

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. ^ "Northern Ireland council election: List of all the candidates in the May 2023 poll". Belfast Live. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
4. ^ a b "Local Council Elections 2014 - Results by Stage". 22 May 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2022.

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