# Botanic (District Electoral Area)

Botanic is one of the ten district electoral areas (DEA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The district elects five members to Belfast City Council and contains the wards of Blackstaff; Central; Ormeau; Stranmillis, and Windsor. 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

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

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:
* 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

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

## 2023 Results

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 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 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

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 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 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

2014: 1 x DUP, 1 x Alliance, 1 x Sinn Féin, 1 x SDLP, 1 x UUP
Botanic - 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 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%) |||||||||||||||