Maze Centre EU Funding Welcomed

Lagan Valley Alliance MLA Trevor Lunn has welcomed news that EU funding has been approved for the conflict resolution centre at the Maze site.

Trevor has long campaigned for swift progress on redeveloping the site. He said that all parties must work together to ensure the whole Maze project fulfils its potential and he said there must be no more political games around the issue.

Trevor Lunn MLA, who served on the Maze Consultative Panel, said: "The announcement of this funding is excellent news for the people of Lagan Valley and for the whole of Northern Ireland. The Maze site can be a key driver of our economy and has the potential to create many jobs at this extremely challenging time.

"I served on the Maze Consultative Panel and discussions at that time were extremely constructive. We looked at models from all around the world, including former prisons, and there was general agreement about the way forward. I am totally satisfied that there is absolutely no prospect that this centre will be dominated by any one party or persuasion.

"There must be no more political game playing on the issue of the Maze project because this type of negative behaviour could jeopardise the creation of much-needed jobs at the site.

"We have seen excellent progress as regards the Titanic Signature building and have in recent days seen the announcement of a massive investment project for Belfast. It is imperative that we continue this good work by moving ahead with developing the Maze site. We must maintain momentum, and to stall or fail to deliver on this would be a massive missed opportunity."

(GK/DW)