Fifth successive Green Flag Award for Queen’s ‘iconic landscape in the heart of Belfast’
On Monday 24 July Queen's University Belfast’s Main Site was again recognised as one of the UK’s top green spaces at the Green Flag Awards 2023-24, held in Killeavy Castle Estate.
The University has to date achieved its fifth successive Green Flag and Green Heritage Site awards.
Operated by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, and now running internationally in 18 countries, the Green Flag Awards set the benchmark national standard for and recognise the environmental quality of parks and green spaces, with winners judged on the overall quality of green space and the work that goes into keeping grounds in pristine condition.
Professor Michael Alcorn, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability and Strategic Projects) at Queen's, commented:
I am delighted to see Queen’s once again recognised for our green spaces. They are a real asset to our staff, students, visitors, and wider community, and we are proud of the work we do to support our environment for the benefit of all. Staff from across the University, from our Estates Team to our colleagues in Campus Food and Drink, contribute to this success and manage these areas to a high standard, conserving the heritage of our site, so I thank them for their continued hard work.
In all, 98 parks and green spaces have been acknowledged in this year's NI Green Flag Awards.
Commenting on Queen's submission, the Green Awards Judging Panel said: "[Queen’s University Belfast’s] Lanyon Main Site forms an iconic landscape in the heart of Belfast, familiar to most people in the province. The University has allocated substantial resources and effort to protect and enhance the heritage of the site, for the appreciation and enjoyment of all.
“[Queen's] welcomes public access and community involvement on and off site. Responsible environmental management is a high priority and many projects have been instigated to make the site more sustainable and tackle Climate Change concerns. The high quality of the built heritage on site is due to considerable investment in the buildings by [Queen’s]."
Sara Lynch, Head of Sustainability at Queen's, commented:
"The Green Flag Awards put parks and green spaces through a rigorous judging process covering a range of issues, so we are delighted that Queen's has again been recognised for the work we do in sustaining our green spaces and built heritage.”