Ministers approve £9m investment in the Urban Villages Initiative in Northern Ireland

The First Minister and deputy First Minister have announced a multi-million pound extension to the Urban Villages Capital Plan.

Executive approval of the £9million investment will allow the Urban Villages Initiative to develop four new capital projects, including The School of Music, Westland Community Centre and Market Arches in Belfast, and The Realm Project in Derry~Londonderry.

The Ministers made the announcement as they carried out a range of visits in the north west.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill said: “The £9m investment is an exciting expansion to the Urban Villages Capital Plan and will provide local communities with much-needed physical regeneration and play a key role in promoting good relations.

“The four capital projects will bring people together and help to meet the aim of creating safer communities,making a real and positive difference to people's lives.”

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said: “This extension represents a major investment in the Urban Villages Initiative. The four new capital projects will be a significant addition to the 71 projects being delivered across the five areas.

“The projects will have a positive impact on the areas in which they are located. They will be landmarks for good relations and transformation and will deliver real benefits to local communities.”

As part of a series of engagements in the area, the Ministers visited the North West Disability Centre, an Urban Villages project which is run by Destined. They also visited the Ebrington site and met with local businesses.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill added: “During our visit to the North West Disability Centre we visited ‘Framed to Perfection' one of the social enterprises run by Destined which provides work for people with learning disabilities. It was a privilege to meet those working there and hear at first-hand how they are benefitting most from the services provided.

“It was also great to see the progress being made at Ebrington which is now a hub of creative industries with cafes, restaurants and other businesses on the site.”

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly added: “Ebrington is now an impressive site with so much to offer. With a number of major events planned for this year, including the All-Ireland Pipe Bands Championships in July, it is clear Ebrington has become a vibrant, inclusive site which will bring a range of benefits to the local community.

“It was also great to get the chance to visit Destined and hear about their fantastic work. Although this is one of the smaller Urban Village capital projects, it is clear the impact has been huge.”

The Urban Villages Capital Plan - a total investment of more than £124m - will have a substantial impact on local communities and provide a positive legacy.

The Plan builds and transforms community facilities, creating shared spaces and beacons for good relations. It delivers social and physical infrastructure across the Urban Villages areas in Belfast and Derry~Londonderry, promoting good relations, regeneration and wider social, economic and environmental improvements.

Notes to editors:

1. Photo caption: First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly announced a £9m extension to the Urban Villages Capital Plan during a visit to Derry-Londonderry.
2. The Urban Villages Initiative is a headline action within the NI Executive's Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) Strategy and is overseen by The Executive Office.
3. The Urban Villages (UV) approach is an area based and community informed approach that promotes good relations through building community infrastructure, social capital and cross community networks.
4. The five Urban Village areas include:
   i. Ardoyne and Greater Ballysillan (North Belfast)
   ii. Colin (West Belfast)
   iii. EastSide (East Belfast)
   iv. Sandy Row, Donegall Pass and the Markets areas (South Belfast)
   v. The Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street (Derry/Londonderry)
5. The Realm (Derry~Londonderry) - The development of a network of high quality hard and soft neighbourhood public realm improvements across the Fountain, Bogside and Bishop Street. This will transform the landscape and environment of public space into a high-quality Neighbourhood Realm; followed by the delivery of public realm design works within the agreed areas of focus. The project will also consider vacancy and dereliction throughout the UV area. New Gate Apartments is a sub-project of the Realm that will see the refurbishment of two adjoining properties beside UV's New Gate Arts and Culture Centre in the Fountain.
6. Westland Community Centre (Ballysillan) - The construction of a new community centre which will deliver an innovative and community led service. The centre will play a dynamic role in enabling the wider community to access adult counselling services, infant special needs support, indoor and outdoor transformational gatherings for all age groups within the community, and networking and collaboration events for communities present in the area.
7. The Market Arches (the Markets) - The regeneration of eight tunnels, in the former railway arches located directly below East Bridge Street, as interconnecting commercial and social spaces. The project will create space for social and commercial enterprises to tackle area-based deprivation and improve linkages between areas of need and areas of opportunity and is anticipated to generate significant local employment. Core uses will include a gym, café/restaurant and a childcare facility.
8. The School of Music (Donegall Pass) - The redevelopment of the Former School of Music on Donegall Pass with a range of social economy, charitable and creative ventures established within. The building has been vacant since 2009 and is now in a state of dereliction and disrepair. In creative ways this project will respond to this dereliction, bringing renewed light and energy to the heart of the Pass that will radiate out into the wider city of Belfast and Artists and other creatives will be core to driving it forward.
9. The additional projects remain subject to individual business cases where they will be appraised against the UV programme objectives.