£188k for Irish Street community green space project

The grant funding will be used for the reimaging of a derelict, under used and inaccessible site into a fully functional, accessible and inclusive one.

It is part of £4.3million share out in the province under the Space & Place Programme, which seeks to connect more people and communities together by making use of neglected space.

The initiative is delivered by a consortium headed up by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland. The partnership also includes Groundwork NI, the Rural Community Network, the Public Health Agency, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Northern Ireland Environmental Link.

Michael Hughes, Space & Place co-ordinator, said: “A number of projects have opened their doors having been funded in previous Space & Place rounds and we have already seen the positive impact new facilities are having in terms of better connecting people and communities.

“We now look forward to enabling more people to transform under used or neglected spaces in their communities through this final round of grants which will in turn also tackle a diverse range of issues including social isolation and lack of facilities in many areas.”

Joanne McDowell, Big Lottery Fund NI director, said: “We understand how important good quality space is and we are delighted to see these 13 projects across Northern Ireland receiving funding today. We hope they will make a real difference to local people and the communities they live in.”