There is no mistaking Tim Losty's determination when he talks about the regeneration of Crumlin Road Gaol as having "tremendous potential" to transform the landscape of North Belfast.

"Let's go for the big vision, why not? If we manage expectations and get everybody to agree on the way forward, then it could have the ability to lift every community in North Belfast," the former head of the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington insisted.

With 27 acres to plan for,  it's no surprise the draft masterplan for the site published in July 2007 aims high.

Apart from moves to expand both the Mater Hospital and St Malachy's the draft pencils in a community epicentre; a new Belfast City Council leisure centre; car parking;  sites for mixed-use development and of course tourism initiatives connected to the gaol itself.

Preliminary plans for the prison include two of the four wings being turned into a museum and the others into a hotel.  

Buildings that formerly housed guards are to be renovated as a restaurant and an international art gallery, and yards that prisoners once walked are to be turned into community gardens.

A clearest sign yet of the huge interest in the Gaol alone has been the success of the tours. Over 15,000 people have taken the tour so far according to the North Belfast Community Action Unit (NBCAU).

It is a huge project all told and one that will involve decisions from practically every single department in Stormont, especially planning.

And what is proving challenging is marrying the needs of the people who live around it.

Nationalists and housing campaigners have lobbied hard for social housing to be placed on the site considering North Belfast's housing stress.

 However unionist politicians and some community groups believe this will take away the site's neutrality. 

They also feel building social housing will create another interface to add to North Belfast's already high tally of walls.

With an Equality Impact Assessement currently out for consultation, it is clear that above everything else, the NBCAU must strike a careful balance. 

"We want to hear everybody's views," Tim explained.

"It is important that this is developed where the community can take ownership.

"We want the ripple effect, and that means benefits will affect the people living beside the development but also those who pass through it every day.

"Community and political leaders along with ourselves have to manage expectations.

"Organisations are articulating their own current needs but we have to have an eye on the future needs 10 or 15 years from now. It has to be an asset for the next 100 years."

Taking on a project that is an urban regeneration, historic preservation and community empowerment scheme rolled into one might seem daunting, but Tim Losty is optimistic.

Tourism has quadrupled over the past three years, with 1.2 million international visitors to the city in 2007, he explained.

"We do see the whole gaol site as being a lead tourism project that will stimulate interest and generate visitors to North Belfast. It should serve to complement the whole Belfast tourism product," said Tim.

"The more things of interest we can offer,  the more chances we will have of increasing our share of tourist market and we're already seeing that with the success of the open top buses and black taxi tours.

"We see the Gaol as a brand that will contribute to the overall Belfast brand. West Belfast has the Gaeltacht Quarter, South Belfast has the university and Golden triangle, North Belfast has the Gaol and the East will have the Connswater Community Greenway development.

"The Gaol has to be North Belfast's unique selling point. All communities must buy into it, no one must feel excluded and people must feel confident about this place.

"We need to change the image and perception people have of North Belfast. We want to reconnect this part of the city back into the city. 

"The Westlink hasn't helped, which is an emotional, physical and cultural separation, cutting off North Belfast from the city centre. But times are changing. Once people wouldn't have socialised in the city centre, now they do. 

“Everyone has to play their part and agree a way forward otherwise this opportunity will be lost."