To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to outline what consideration has been given to the installation of a footpath along the Rocky Road, South Belfast, given the large number of school pupils who walk in the area.

In 2022, my Department completed an assessment to determine the viability of extending the existing footway on Rocky Road to Manse Road. This involved an initial assessment against three criteria, Safety, Accessibility and Integration, and Economy.

Unfortunately, due to constrained resources, work of this nature has to be taken forward on a prioritised basis and this potential scheme has not scored highly enough to pass an initial threshold.

However, I can advise that my Department has recently completed a footway extension on Church Road which connects to Manse Road and officials are currently developing plans to construct an additional 620m of new footway on the Manse Road.