Pottinger (District Electoral Area)

Pottinger was one of the nine district electoral areas (DEA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 1985 to 2014. Located in the east of the city, the district elected six members to Belfast City Council and contained the wards of Ballymacarrett, Bloomfield, Orangefield, Ravenhill, The Mount, and Woodstock.

Pottinger District Electoral Area
Map showing Pottinger wards within Belfast
Area	6.17 km^2 (2.38 sq mi)
Population	31,272 (2008 Estimate)
• Density	5,068/km^2 (13,130/sq mi)
District	Belfast City Council
County	County Antrim
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
UK Parliament	Belfast South
NI Assembly	Belfast South
List of places UK Northern Ireland Antrim

The name Pottinger is derived from Thomas Pottinger who was the first mayor of Belfast to be elected in the grant of a corporate charter to that town, in 1661.^{[citation needed]}

The wards of Ravenhill and Woodstock were part of the Belfast South constituencies for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament, while the other four were part of the Belfast East Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies.

The district was bounded to the west by the River Lagan and the Ormeau Road, to the north by the Newtownards Road, to the east by Greenville Park and North Road and the Borough of Castlereagh to the south.

At the 2001 census the district had a Protestant majority, however there was also a large Catholic minority, particularly in areas such as the Short Strand, which is separated from the mainly unionist Cluan Place by one of the many peace lines in the district.

History

The DEA was created for the 1985 local elections, when it largely replaced the former electoral Area A. Five of the six wards came from Area A with the Bloomfield ward added from Area B. It was abolished for the 2014 local elections, when all of its wards except Orangefield formed part of a new Titanic district electoral area. The Orangefield ward became part of a new Lisnasharragh district electoral area.

Amenities

 

New stand at the Ravenhill Stadium, home of the Ulster Rugby team.

Amenities in the Pottinger district electoral area include:

• Ormeau Golf Club
• Ormeau Park
• Ravenhill Stadium, home of the Ulster Rugby team

Wards

Map	Ward	Population (2011 Census)	Catholic	Protestant	Other	No Religion	Area	Density	NI Assembly	UK Parliament	Ref
1	Ballymacarrett	4,908	51.4%	41.2%	1.4%	6.2%	0.78 km^2	6,292 /km^2	Belfast East	Belfast East	^[1]
2	Bloomfield	5,453	16.1%	69.7%	1.7%	12.5%	0.74 km^2	7,369 /km^2	Belfast East	Belfast East	^[2]
3	Orangefield	5,619	11%	77%	1.4%	10.6%	1.46 km^2	3,849 /km^2	Belfast East	Belfast East	^[3]
4	Ravenhill	6,041	39.7%	46.9%	2%	11.5%	1.88 km^2	3,213 /km^2	Belfast South	Belfast South	^[4]
5	The Mount	5,591	16.1%	68.3%	1.3%	14.3%	0.75 km^2	7,455 /km^2	Belfast East	Belfast East	^[5]
6	Woodstock	5,445	19.4%	63.3%	2.8%	14.5%	0.56 km^2	9,723 /km^2	Belfast South	Belfast South	^[6]
Pottinger		33,057	25.3%	61.2%	1.8%	11.7%	6.17 km^2	5,358 /km^2

Councillors

 

Gate in the peace line to enter the Short Strand.

Election	Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)		Councillor (Party)
2011		Máire Hendron (Alliance)		May Campbell (DUP)		Gavin Robinson (DUP)		John Kyle (PUP)		Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Féin)		Adam Newton (DUP)
2005						Sammy Wilson (DUP)		David Ervine (PUP)		Reg Empey (UUP)		Margaret McKenzie (DUP)
2001		Joseph O'Donnell (Sinn Féin)		Harry Toan (DUP)								Margaret Clarke (UUP)
1997		Mervyn Jones (Alliance)		Robert Clelland (DUP)
1993								Jim Walker (DUP)				Sandy Blair (UUP)
1989				Dorothy Dunlop (Independent Unionist)								Margaret Clarke (UUP)
1985				F Leslie (DUP)

2011 elections

 

Ormeau Embankment along the River Lagan.

Belfast City Council elections, 2011^[7]
Party		Candidate	1st Pref
	Alliance	Máire Hendron	1,895
	DUP	Gavin Robinson	1,523
	Sinn Féin	Niall Ó Donnghaile	1,077
	DUP	May Campbell	1,051
	PUP	John Kyle	1,022
	DUP	Adam Newton	936
	Ulster Unionist	Philip Robinson	786
	SDLP	Séamas de Faoite	456
	Green (NI)	David Newman	223
	TUV	John Hiddleston	191
	Socialist Party	Thomas Black	150
	Workers' Party of Ireland	Kevin McNally	104
	People Before Profit	Donna McCusker	70
	Independent	Karl Hedley	33
	Procapitalism	Samuel Smyth	9
Turnout			9,526
	Sinn Féin gain from Ulster Unionist

See also

• Belfast City Council
• Electoral wards of Belfast
• Local government in Northern Ireland
• Members of Belfast City Council
• Belfast Pottinger (UK Parliament constituency)
• Belfast Pottinger (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
• Belfast Willowfield (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
• 2011 Northern Ireland local elections#Belfast
• 2005 Northern Ireland local elections#Belfast
• 2001 Northern Ireland local elections#Belfast
• 1997 Northern Ireland local elections#Belfast
• 1993 Northern Ireland local elections#Belfast
• 1989 Northern Ireland local elections#Belfast
• 1985 Northern Ireland local elections#Belfast

References

1. "Ward Information for Ballymacarrett ward 95GG04". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
2. "Ward Information for Bloomfield (Belfast) ward 95GG11". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
3. "Ward Information for Orangefield ward 95GG36". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
4. "Ward Information for Ravenhill ward 95GG37". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
5. "Ward Information for The Mount ward 95GG44". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
6. "Ward Information for Woodstock ward 95GG50". NISRA. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
7. Elections 2011: Pottinger, Belfast City Council

Coordinates: 54°35′38″N 5°53′53″W / 54.594°N 5.898°W / 54.594; -5.898