€77m (£65m) of PEACEPLUS funding has been awarded to transform six community facilities and public spaces in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.
Among the exciting and wide-ranging new cross-community initiatives to receive funding are the conversion of a former military barracks site into a sport, wellbeing and shared learning centre; the creation of a huge ‘Air Dome’ indoor arena in the North-West; and a significant investment at a North Belfast interface to enhance shared space and connectivity between local communities.
Six projects were successful in their bids for investment through PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
Thousands of people are expected to benefit from the new facilities when completed and it is hoped they will bring people together, promote better understanding and trust, and provide communities with improved services and infrastructure.
The successful projects included within this round of PEACEPLUS funding are:
• The Centre of Participation Wellbeing & Shared Learning Hub (€15.4m) – a 30-acre complex based at the former military barracks site owned by the UK Ministry of Defence in Ballykinlar, Co Down.
Led by Down Gaelic Athletic Association in partnership with County Down Rural Community Network and Co-Operation Ireland, the project will see the construction of a new two-storey complex building to include a heritage and shared learning space, and a new 2,000-square-metre multi-purpose games arena (MUGA).
• UU Dome (€10.86m) – Led by Ulster University, this project will transform the old Foyle College site in the city of Derry-Londonderry into a regionally significant and inclusive shared space that will generate significant, meaningful and purposeful contact between different communities. The site, which is currently vacant and disused, will see the development of an ‘Air Dome’ facility comprising of a 15,000 square metre year-round indoor arena with synthetic playing field and capacity for thousands of spectators.
• Reconnected Belfast (€13.5m) – Focused on the Waterworks and Alexander Park in North Belfast, the project will see further progress towards the removal of peace walls and enhancement of green space for use by local residents, community organisations and schools.
Led by Belfast City Council in partnership with the Department of Justice, Reconnected Belfast is part of a strategic connectivity project which aims to make Belfast a fully sustainably connected city via a series of greenways, urban greenways, and pocket parks.
• The Riverine 2023 (€16.7m) shared space – spanning both Lifford in Co Donegal and Strabane in Co Derry/Londonderry, the project will include the creation of 30 acres of parklands and a new community pavilion building, developed through a cross-border partnership between Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council.
• The Ballycastle Shared Space Project (€5.2m), which will see the enhancement of sports facilities on the grounds of the planned Shared Education Campus (SEC) in the town, providing community access and shared usage between the school and the local community for sport, leisure and recreation purposes.
The project will be led by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council in partnership with the Department for Education.
• The Shannonside Peace Arena (€15.3m) in Carrick-on-Shannon. Led by Leitrim County Council in partnership with Shannonside Regional Recreational Campus, the project will create a new inclusive shared space with a co-designed, sustainable building which facilitates meaningful and purposeful contact between different communities.
The development will include a double-height multi-use sports hall and high-performance gym.
All six projects are to be funded under the Special EU Programme Body’s Re-Imaging Communities investment area, which is part of the €1.14bn PEACEPLUS programme.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA said:
“I am delighted that the PEACEPLUS Steering Committee has approved funding for six projects under the Re-Imaging Communities Investment Area of the PEACEPLUS Programme.
“It is my ambition to deliver policies and programmes that will have real and meaningful impact, that are sustainable and that will provide tangible, lasting benefits.
“My department has previously supported 25 capital builds under the Shared Spaces element of the PEACE III and PEACE IV Programmes which were delivered in partnership with the Special European Union Programmes Body. These projects have clearly demonstrated the many positive impacts such investments can have across society. I am therefore pleased that we are able to build on this success by supporting these new shared spaces.
“I want to congratulate each of the projects on their achievement in securing funding for their proposals.”
Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys TD said:
“We have witnessed the benefits from the development of these shared spaces under the various PEACE programmes, which have brought about real change through the repurposing of lands, the reimaging of existing buildings and spaces, creating new parks and infrastructure and regenerating peace line interface barriers.
“These shared spaces, which are stunning to look at, have a huge transformational impact and support economic and tourism opportunities in the region, while also ensuring the bringing together of all communities into a safe neutral space and I am sure this programme will be no different.
“I want to commend all the applicants for the time and effort that went into drafting the applications received under this funding call, which was hugely over-subscribed.
“I wish all the success applicants the very best of luck in getting their projects underway for the benefit of all in their communities and surrounding hinterlands. I am delighted that my Department of Rural and Community Development will be partnering with the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland and the Special EU Programmes Body in providing funding for these wonderful projects.”
SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said:
“There was a huge response to this funding call which really demonstrated the public’s appetite and need for shared spaces within our communities. We have seen from previous PEACE programmes how shared civic spaces can act as beacons of hope within a community, real catalysts for change and enhanced socio-economic environments.
“I am delighted that through PEACEPLUS we will be delivering another six transformed and repurposed facilities for people right across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.
“These new facilities will provide places where people can come together, collaborate and engage with one another in a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment. They are crucial for peacebuilding and reconciliation.
“Their impact transcends the bricks and mortar required for their construction, penetrating much further into the local community through the changes in both attitudes and behaviours, resulting in a reduction in segregation and contributing to sustained peace and prosperity.”
Unfortunately, given the scale of interest in the investment area, a number of excellent applications were unsuccessful in attaining funding through the Re-Imaging Communities investment area.
The SEUPB said while it recognised this would be disappointing for those impacted, there was a finite budget and those successful must deliver the maximum impact for the community and ensure the provision of the very best services and facilities. This competitive process meant that all applications were rigorously assessed to ensure full compliance with all criteria for public monies.
PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive.