The newly-formed Antrim and Newtownabbey PEACEPLUS Partnership met for the first time on October 11 in The Old Courthouse, Antrim, as members began work on developing an action plan for the borough.

Early indications are that Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s allocation of funding as part of the European Union’s new PEACEPLUS Programme will be in the region

of €5.1m.

The €1.1bn programme - managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) is designed to support peace and prosperity and leave a lasting and tangible legacy across

Members of the new Antrim and Newtownabbey PEACEPLUS Partnership gather for the first time at The Old Courthouse, Antrim.

placeholder image — Members of the new Antrim and Newtownabbey PEACEPLUS Partnership gather for the first time at The Old Courthouse, Antrim.

Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

The council has established the Antrim and Newtownabbey PEACEPLUS Partnership, who will play in integral role in the development of a co-designed overarching Local Area Action Plan and oversee the delivery of identified projects and initiatives.

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The Partnership consists of 23 members made up of 12 Elected Members, representatives from four statutory partners: PSNI; NIHE; NHSCT; Education Authority and seven social partners appointed through a competitive process, representatives of various target groups and geographical areas.

Commenting on the initiative, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ald Stephen Ross said: “PEACEPLUS will build upon the success of the work carried out by the previous PEACE and INTERREG programmes, contributing positively to all of the citizens in our borough for generations to come.”

PEACEPLUS comprises six key themes, which encompass over 20 individual investment areas. The programme is due to be launched in the next few months.

An overview can be found on the SEUPB website - https://seupb.eu/PEACEPLUS