'Neighbourhood Renewal' is making a difference

Neighbourhood Renewal is beginning to make a real difference to communities across Northern Ireland, Social Development Minister David Hanson has today said.

Speaking at the first regional Neighbourhood Renewal (NR) conference in Armagh, the Minister revealed that the Department for Social Development had invested over £17 million in Neighbourhood Renewal areas across Northern Ireland.

He said: “This is in addition to the considerable investment by other Government Departments in the 36 Neighbourhood Renewal areas.”

Outlining the aims of the Neighbourhood Strategy, Mr Hanson said: “Neighbourhood Renewal is unique and different to anything that government has done before. It is a long term commitment and is based on communities working in partnership with the public, private and political representatives to tackle the real causes of poverty. The short term and uncoordinated approach of the past has to change if we are to make the necessary improvements on the ground.

“Real benefits and improvements will only come if we tackle the core causes of deprivation over a realistic time-scale and in a sustained and co-ordinated way. We will only get economic regeneration if we harness and develop the potential of all our people including tackling basic educational problems that exist in many areas.”

Mr Hanson said that he would expect continued improvement to be made to the quality of life of people living in Northern Ireland’s most deprived areas.

“Since the launch of the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy in 2003, we have made considerable strides towards making the Neighbourhood Renewal vision of a better life, a reality for many people.

“Over 280,000 people live in NR areas and we need to make sure that they have access to the best possible services and opportunities including the best possible public services. The private sector also has an important role to play in breaking this cycle of deprivation. This investment is the means to create opportunities in local neighbourhoods, generate employment, contribute to and promote the development of sustainable community enterprise. This needs to be done in harmony with the local communities, helping them to look positively to the future,” he said.

Making clear his expectations for the future implementation of Neighbourhood Renewal David Hanson continued: “I want to see measurable change in the conditions within Neighbourhood Renewal areas. I will expect that the policies being pursued by statutory bodies, and the actions being implemented through the Neighbourhood Renewal action planning process, are making real differences and improvements across these issues and that those core causes of deprivation are being addressed. The impact of our collective work must be able to point to improved outcomes in the quality of life in these neighbourhoods.”

The conference was attended by a mix of community, statutory and locally elected representatives from across Northern Ireland’s urban neighbourhoods sharing a common ambition to work together to improve lives.

(EF)