£45M Urban Villages initiative launched

Junior Ministers have launched strategic frameworks that will see five areas benefit from a £45M Urban Villages initiative.

Junior Ministers Alastair Ross and Megan Fearon were on hand at the event at Girdwood Community Hub in Belfast.

The five Urban Villages areas to receive the boost are Ardoyne and Greater Ballysillan in North Belfast, Colin in West Belfast, EastSide – Newtownards Road, between Bridge End and Grampian Avenue in East Belfast, Sandy Row, Donegall Pass and the Markets areas of South Belfast and the Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street in Derry.

The initiative will see significant funding invested in a wide range projects including the transformation of vacant and derelict spaces.

Buildings will be refurbished, with low-density areas also being redeveloped

Civic areas will be regenerated plus new ones created; shop frontages will undergo facelifts, with public realms being improved.

The Urban Villages Initiative is devised to improve good relations outcomes and regenerate places where there has been a history of deprivation and community tension. It has three inter-connected aims: to create positive Community Identities, to build Community Capacity, and to improve the Physical Environment.

Junior Minister, Alastair Ross said: “Four Urban Village areas in Belfast as well as one in Londonderry will benefit from this particular initiative.

It is a significant programme which will deliver £3.6M of investment into capital projects by the end of this year, making life better for all those communities and neighbourhoods.”

Junior Minister, Megan Fearon said: ““Across five locations we intend to deliver a £45M capital programme over the next four years. This will be supported by significant revenue investment to undertake a wide range of projects to improve the physical appearance of areas, build capacity for the local community and foster positive community identities.

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