£7m Worth Of Investment Programme Projects Underway In Belfast

Work on three major projects worth £7 million is underway as part of Belfast City Council's Investment Programme 2012-2015.

Earlier this year, leaders of all the council's political parties instigated and signed up to a programme to include £150 million of physical investment, creating 200 jobs and 400 work placements and supporting communities across the city through a £5 million local investment fund.

The council has now identified almost 40 major capital and revenue projects and work on the first of these – the £3 million redevelopment of the Mary Peters Track – began in April.

The work, carried out by a consortium led by McAvoy Construction LLP, includes replacing the current six lane running track with an eight-lane track, with an Olympic venue surface, upgrading the high jump, long jump and pole vault field facilities and a 400 seater stand.

The work is scheduled to be completed by January and in full use by March in time for the World Police and Fire Games – second only in size to the Olympics in terms of competitors – which is coming to the city next year.

The £2 million redevelopment of Dunville Park work was started by Earney Contracts Limited within the past fortnight while Clive Richardson Limited has begun work on the £2 million scheme at Woodvale Park, both of which are also supported though grant aid by the Department for Social Development's Belfast Regeneration Office. Both will take around a year to complete.

The Dunville scheme includes a floodlit 3G sports pitch, a sports pavilion, playgrounds, an event area, public artwork and a planting scheme. Woodvale will boast a floodlit multi-sport polymeric pitch, an event space, seating, an outdoor exercise area, playground and toddlers garden as well as a prefabricated building for storage and meetings.

(CD)