Derry~ Londonderry Strategic Framework
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Bogside, Fountain & Bishop Street DERRY~ LONDONDERRY STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK August 2016 DERRY~ LONDONDERRYURBAN VILLAGES INITIATIVE DERRY~ LONDONDERRY 1 INTRODUCTION 01 2 BOGSIDE, FOUNTAIN AND BISHOP ST TODAY 19 3 THE FUTURE 55 4 SUPPORTING DELIVERY 102 01INTRODUCTION Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 1 INTRODUCTION 1 PURPOSE OF DOCUMENT This Strategic Framework is intended to provide a reference point for anyone involved in shaping investment decisions or identifying collaborative opportunities in the Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street Urban Village area. The Framework presents findings from a creative process of analysis and reflection which involved individual members of the community, as well as representatives from local and central government. It provides an analysis of place and is a tool for informing action and investment. The Framework is intended to be used as a working document so that emerging opportunities can be identified and changing circumstances acknowledged. It begins by presenting information on what the Urban Villages Initiative is, what it is trying to achieve and how it will work. Section 2 then sets out the local context and presents key findings under three headings - strengths, symptoms and causes. Section 3 looks towards the future and sets out Strategic Actions which emerged through the process of engagement, evidence gathering and analysis. These can help to inform future investment plans as well as identifying opportunities for alignment of effort and collaboration around shared outcomes. Section 4 focuses on delivery. The Executive Office will take forward projects and programmes within its remit, and work with others to progress opportunities for shared delivery of outcomes, in keeping with the approach articulated in the draft Programme for Government Framework. 2 Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 1 Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 3 WHAT IS THE URBAN VILLAGES 1 INITIATIVE? The Urban Villages Initiative is a key action within the Northern Ireland Executive’s ‘Together: Building a United Community’ Strategy. It is designed to improve good relations outcomes and to help develop thriving places where there has previously been a history of deprivation and community tension. Improve the physical environment Build community capacity 4 Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street There are three inter-connected aims: • to foster positive community identities 1 • to build community capacity • to improve the physical environment. In working towards these aims, a key delivery mechanism will be aligning and influencing investment and finding better ways of ‘doing more with what we’ve got’. The goal is to enable current and future investment to be targeted and delivered in more effective and sustainable ways. In practice this will mean: Foster positive • co-ordinating and aligning effort across community identities Government Departments, local Councils and community organisations to deliver good relations outcomes • identifying and building on what is working because sustainable change requires investment in social (people and communities) and in physical assets • exploring ways of investing and trying new approaches which stimulate private investment and economic activity. Build community capacity Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 5 3 OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES In order to focus effort and set a clear route to delivery, a set of objectives and outcomes will inform investment decisions and actions. Improve the physical environment Build community capacity 6 Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 3 Foster positive community identities Build community capacity Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside,Urban VillagesFountain Initiative and Bishop - EastSide Street 7 PLACES Delivery will be focussed on five ‘core’ areas in: • Ardoyne and Greater Ballysillan (North Belfast) • Bogside, Fountain and 1 Bishop Street (Derry~Londonderry) Core Area • Colin (West Belfast) • EastSide (East Belfast) • Sandy Row, Donegall Pass and the Markets (South Belfast) The core area provides a focal point for action and investment. The concept of a wider area of influence, that is not sharply defined, acknowledges that thriving places require wider connection to both physical and social assets. Investment decisions and actions will be informed by the likely impact on core areas. Area of Influence 8 Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street Strategic ACTIONS Transform places Motivate, support and The Strategic Actions in this • Tackle dereliction and vacancy inspire our young people Framework document are • Create a well designed, • Encourage youth intended to inform discussion sustainable and thriving place engagement opportunities about how to best deliver • Maximise connections • Support multi-discipline positive outcomes in each place. • Create effective shared space activity In order to ensure that expertise • Address challenges of • Increase support for is harnessed at a neighbourhood interface walls 1 lifelong learning level, local Reference Groups are being developed - to provide a first point of contact and Build a more resilient and self Celebrate and promote sense-check for project ideas, sufficient community to build civic stewardship and cultural diversity sustainability around specific • Develop and promote social enterprise and entrepreneurship • Promote and develop a interventions and to ensure that programme of festivals, delivery is built from shared • Improve and increase allotments community gardens and growing events and cultural activity priorities. • Celebrate and foster cultural diversity Health and well being • Encourage partnerships with local, national and • Encourage participation in international organisations sport and physical activity • Support and sustain positive lifestyle choices Maximise tourism offering • Collaborate to tackle social isolation • Unlock latent tourism offer • Creatively re-use/ conserve physical assets Enterprising communities • Increase the spin-off benefits of existing tourism • Connect and collaborate • Increase education, training & employment opportunities Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 9 INTRODUCING THE PLACE 1 Lecky Road THE GASYARD CENTRE Bishop Street 10 Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 1 CITY WALLS Wapping Lane Bishop Street RIVERVIEW PARK The core area encompasses the Its tight knit hilly terraced streets rise Fountain, Bogside and Bishop Street to its western boundary – the areas. Located just beyond Derry’s Lonemoor Road, an offshoot of historic walls, these are unique and the Old Letterkenny Road. distinctive places that reflect their strong cultural identities. The Fountain is discrete and contained, bounded by the walled city on the Panoramic views from the city north, Bishop Street (interface) on walls take in the relatively low lying the northwest, and Carlisle Road and Bogside area to the west. Abercorn Road on the southeast. Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 11 METHODOLOGY 1 The process that informed this area. Between January and March This informed the findings and Strategic Framework began with an 2016 the Urban Villages team engaged Strategic Actions in parallel with the in-depth analysis process involving with local people, community groups valuable contributions and participation desktop research, site appraisal and and wider stakeholders from both the throughout the process. extensive stakeholder consultation. public sector and local business through This included 1-to-1 meetings, a series of workshop events. During A Reference Group was established as workshops, surveys, focus groups the ‘Visiting the Neighbours’ walking an informal group of stakeholders in and public events. workshop each participant tied gold April 2016 as an expansion of a previous ribbons to their ‘Top Ten’ favourite DSD led steering group. This includes The findings from each stage helped places and spaces in the area, and key statutory, community and traders’ to ensure this Framework is specific purple ribbons to ten things needing voices. This Reference Group provides to the place and people. It seeks a helping hand. This demonstrated a point of contact for continued to build on what is working and will increased civic pride by collectively engagement, sharing of information continue to progress positive change identifying and agreeing the area’s top for dissemination within the wider to bring about real transformation, assets and opportunities. community. whilst significantly improving the living environment and area. A range of issues were explored in more A commitment to sustained consultation depth. These included, for example, and engagement with all local Central to the methodology was the role of illumination and lighting in stakeholders is made for all stages of engagement with the people who regeneration; children’s play spaces; delivery and as such this is a working live, work and spend time in the community gardens and allotments; document forming the basis for and the role of business associations. discussion and delivery. 12 Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 1 Urban Villages Initiative - Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street 13 1 CONSULTATION A wide variety of engagement events, Over 2000 people attended various one to one consultation meetings, and Spring Festival