Public views sought on extending Sunday trading hours across Belfast
Belfast City Council is asking for feedback from residents, visitors and business representatives on extending Sunday trading hours across the city during periods of high tourist and visitor numbers.
The current legislation states that only places which have designated themselves as ‘holiday resorts’ can enable larger stores to open at any time on up to 18 Sundays (between 1 March and 30 September) each year.
Belfast isn’t currently classed as a ‘holiday resort’, so large shops are only currently permitted to open from 1pm to 6pm on Sundays.
Smaller stores (with floor space less than 280 square metres) can already set their own opening hours and do not have to follow these restrictions.
Public consultation
In July 2025, elected members agreed in principle to introduce the holiday resort designation across the entire Belfast council area, subject to public consultation.
This consultation, now open for feedback, aims to capture as many views as possible and take them on board, especially current experiences of Belfast on Sundays in the city centre and beyond, and to explore what people would like to see happen.
Once your views are collected, elected members will consider them and make a final decision on whether to introduce the holiday resort designation across the council area.
The consultation closes on Wednesday 14 May 2026.
Find out more and share your views.
First published 24 March 2026
