Belfast Makes Plans for Almost £8m of Peace Funding Programmes

Belfast City Council proposes allocating £750k to a recycling facility as a part of plans for almost £8 million of Peace III funds. The plans for the next phase of Peace III funding are revealed in the consultation document available from the Belfast City Council website. The programmes proposed are summarised below:

• The Transforming contested space project plans a North and West Household Recycling Centre on the former Mackie's site as part of plans.
• Other proposed programmes include an £870,500 arterial routes programme to transform the environment in 5 areas across Belfast. This programme is called "Mending the City's Scars".
• The Grants Programme for Phase II Peace funding will make approximately 10 awards at £100,000 or 20 at £50,000. (£1,000,000). The overarching theme of this programme will be Shared Organisational Space to promote collaborative working.
• A Community Cohesion programme it is proposed will receive £150,000 for ongoing work with the NI Housing Executive's existing Shared Neighbourhood programme.
• The Creating Shared Spaces on the Playing Field programme will allocate £750,000 to develop 3G hybrid Gaelic games and soccer pitch and associated facilities and programmes.
• £390,000 will be made available for an Employment Access Programme for employment in contested communities.
• The City of Neighbourhoods through integrated planning programme will receive £450,000 to develop the 'total place' model in jey anchor locations in north, west, east and south of the city.
• The City of Neighbourhoods through health and wellbeing programme will allocate £370,000 to establish four community gardens projects and engage young people in a Respect through Sport programme.
• The Transforming Contested Space programme will allocate £300,000 to tackle sectarianism and racism through positive celebration of their cultural heritage.
• The Interfaces and Mediation Programme will allocate £150,000 to conflict resolution and mediation work in interface areas.
• The Sectarian and Racism Tension Monitoring and Response Project will be budgeted with £600,000 to monitor and reduce the impact of actual or potential community tensions at interfaces and neighbourhoods across the city.
• The Youth Engagement Programme will receive £350,000 for a programme with hard to reach young men involved in or on the periphery of local paramilitary or gang activity.
• The Shared Cultural Space, Migrant Forum programme will receive £150,000 to celebrate and give place to different backgrounds and traditions of the citizens of Belfast.
• The City of Festivals programme will be allocated £420,000 under proposals for the City of Festivals II programme in key spaces in the city including City Hall, Custom House Square, North Foreshore and Council parks.
• The Creative Legacies II programme will receive £300,000 as an audience development and outreach initiative to use arts to develop Belfast as a shared cultural space.
• The Roots of Empathy programme has been allocated a proposed £165,000 for work with children in schools aged 8 or 8 (Primary 5).
• The My Belfast programme has been given an indicative budget of £280,000 for development of a graphically-based display to be presented in City Hall.
• The Communities Make Place programe with a budget of £400,000 aims to work with partners to spread the economic and social benefits of tourism across the city.

The full consultation paper is available on the council’s website at www.belfastcity.gov.uk/goodrelations.

You are invited to respond to this consultation no later than 27 August 2010. Responses can be sent either by email or post. Email: peaceiii@belfastcity.gov.uk Post: Niall Eastwood, Room 212, City Hall, Belfast, BT1 5GS

Following the closing date for the consultation on 27 August 2010, all responses will be considered
along with any other available evidence to help fnalise the local action plan for submission to the
Special EU Programmes Body.