Masterplan set to revive the greater Shankill
A WIDE-reaching masterplan, described as "ambitious and imaginative", for the regeneration of one of Northern Ireland's most deprived areas was unveiled yesterday.
The Think Transfor-mation plan aims to develop the economic potential of west Belfast and the greater Shankill areas.
The plan puts forward a series of regeneration proposals which could transform the area – comprising over 100,000 people and one-third of Belfast’s population – into an “integral part of a vibrant city”.
The masterplan was touted as “west Belfast’s Titanic Quarter” – aspirational and imaginative, but possible and within reach if the right investment is made.
While the masterplan outlines seven project proposals, only two directly impact on the greater Shankill area, and a third – an enterprise hub – will stretch across both the west and greater Shankill.
The Shankill proposals call for the refurbishment of Fernhill House, to be used as a restaurant and conference facility, and to include the construction of a hotel and a tourist museum centre on enlarged grounds with access to Belfast Hills regional park.
The second proposal, entitled the Shankill initiatives, outlines projects already put forward by a range of agencies – such as the Crumlin Road jail and Lower Shankill masterplan – and suggests turning St Luke’s Church into a community facility, refurbishing Nelson’s Memorial Church and creating a landscaped public square in the space to the front of the church.
But with the exception of the enterprise hub – an area of business and enterprise space on the south facing slopes of the mountain, overlooking the city, which will include the former Mackies site, Ballygo-martin Industrial Estate and the Whiterock Ind-ustrial Estate – the rest of the proposals focus on the west.
These include a Destination Centre on the Black Mountain, turning Andersonstown into an urban village, creating a Gaeltacht Quarter hub on the Falls Road, and undertaking a feasibility study exploring how best to attract investment into the Andersonstown Gateway area.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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