09/09/2008

From Bonfire Site To Community Garden

A bonfire site in east Belfast is to be transformed into a community garden in the latest phase of Belfast City Council's 'Re-imaging Communities' initiative.

The waste land, off Inverary Avenue, is also used as a dumping ground and is a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

However, there are now exciting plans to transform the site into an attractive new area, which it is hoped will become a more positive focal point for the local community.

The initiative is being funded through the Arts Council's 'Re-imaging Communities' programme, which is helping to transform local communities across Northern Ireland by tackling the visible signs of sectarianism and racism and creating a more welcoming environment for everyone.

A total of 12 re-imaging projects across Belfast will reflect the positive changes and social regeneration taking place in these communities, including helping the communities to replace existing murals with positive images reflecting their culture.

Each project will involve an artist working with the relevant community to develop high quality artwork which will replace existing sectarian murals and slogans and tidy up unsightly areas to reclaim space for the communities to enjoy and celebrate their culture in a non-offensive way.

The first project - the replacement of ten murals in the lower Shankill area - was launched at the beginning of September. Inverary is the second project on which work is now starting.

The site, adjacent to Inverary Community Centre, will be transformed from derelict wasteland into a vital environmental and social space for the residents of the area.

It is envisaged that it will become a community garden, with plans for innovatively-designed seating areas, play areas for children and functional artworks by the award-winning artist, David Dudgeon.

(JM/KMcA)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

29 May 2008
Welcome For Antrim Project's Job Creation
A new community-based develoment which is creating employment opportunities in Co Antrim has been welcomed by the NI Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie. She helped to launch the new, mixed-use resource and business project in Antrim town.
04 September 2003
Adopted baby death report critical of health care
A local health and social services trust has been heavily criticised over the death of a legally adopted Romanian boy. The report examined the role played by Craigavon and Banbridge Community Health and Social Services Trust into the handling of the case of David and Samuel, twin boys brought to Northern Ireland from Romania for adoption.
25 November 2021
New Community Park and Sports Zone Opens In Belfast
A new Community Park and Sports Zone has officially opened in Belfast by Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey. The new facilities have been completed has transformed an area known locally as the Back Path into a "more welcoming and safer space".
01 July 2024
Fibrus Supports Over 30 Northern Irish Community Groups
Over 30 Northern Irish community groups are receiving grants from Fibrus this year to improve internet and digital technology access across the region.
31 August 2023
New Community Hall And Social Hub Opens In Limavady
Work has been completed on a new community hall and social hub in Limavady. Bethany Community Hall which has now officially opened has been part-funded by the Department for Communities (DfC) with a £400,000 award through the Neighbourhood Renewal Investment Fund, with Bethany Community Trust securing the additional funding.