Council plans set out clear vision for the future

More than 130 delegates attended the latest Community Planning Workshop at Lagan Valley Island to receive an update on the progress of the council's Community Plan and Local Development Plan.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Nov 2016, 07:00 BST
Updated 29th Nov 2016, 10:29 BST
Pictured at the latest Community Planning workshop are Mr John Woods, Stratagem NI; Alderman William Leathem, Chairman of the councils Strategic Community Planning Partnership; Chief Executive Dr Theresa Donaldson and Ms Lois Jackson, Principal Planning Officer.Pictured at the latest Community Planning workshop are Mr John Woods, Stratagem NI; Alderman William Leathem, Chairman of the councils Strategic Community Planning Partnership; Chief Executive Dr Theresa Donaldson and Ms Lois Jackson, Principal Planning Officer.
Pictured at the latest Community Planning workshop are Mr John Woods, Stratagem NI; Alderman William Leathem, Chairman of the councils Strategic Community Planning Partnership; Chief Executive Dr Theresa Donaldson and Ms Lois Jackson, Principal Planning Officer.

Chairman of the local authority’s Strategic Community Planning Partnership, Alderman William Leathem, welcomed everyone to the event, saying: “Over the past 18 months the council has been working on the development of its Community Plan with a number of workshops taking place within the local area to highlight the key topics that the plan will focus on. I am pleased to announce that we have now appointed Stratagem NI to create our plan and drive the process forward.”

Council chief executive, Dr Theresa Donaldson discussed the importance of the two plans moving forward to shape the future of the council area.

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“Today’s workshop is next stage in the development of our main vision; ‘to create an empowered, prosperous, healthy, inclusive community’. We can only do this through a partnership approach and it is critical that our community plan reflects the aspirations of our partners,” she said.

“We are also working on our Local Development Plan, which will outline a clear vision of how the council area should look in the future. It will shape the type and scale of developments that will be necessary to gain economic, social and environmental wellbeing for our entire community.”

Stratagem NI facilitated round-table discussions at the event, based on the topics that have been raised to date through the community planning process. Themes such as transportation and infrastructure, the development of local SMEs, tourism opportunities and rural issues were all considered and the views of all the delegates will be reflected in the council’s new plan.

Chairman of the council’s Planning Committee, Councillor Alexander Redpath, who closed the event, added: “It is reassuring to know that through a wide range of partners the council is moving forward on shaping the future of our area. The main goal of improving the economy, raising the standard of the quality of life and achieving an inclusive society will happen because of the good work the Council is doing.”

The council is encouraging people across Lisburn and Castlereagh to stay involved in the community planning process in the months ahead.

Related topics:Council