Neighbourhood Action Plan

The Greater Shankill Neighbourhood Renewal Area Action Plan has been produced through an intensive process at the request of the Department for Social Development by the community of the Greater Shankill, in association with a range of statutory agencies and public bodies and taking account of Government policies and priorities.

Click to download the latest Action Plan

At one level it provides a "road map" for the way forward for the Greater Shankill area. It also provides a template within which policy can be made and modified and through which resources can be made available, redirected and groups and organisations funded.

Government Departments and Agencies should therefore take account of the Action Plan in their policy-making, as they committed to do.

On the ground, locally-based groups should look to identify their activities and proposals within and across the themes in their approaches to Government Departments and Agencies for funding, and they should be specific about these in their applications.

So all concerned should read, study, discuss and use this Action Plan as they seek to move forward.

History

Back in 2004, when DSD commenced consultation on the Government's proposed Neighbourhood Renewal policy, the Community Convention, a body established in 2002 to bring all aspects of the Greater Shankill together, met in full session to consider its response.  It welcomed the Government's stated long-term commitment to the renewal process and its intention to heed the voice of the community in designing its future and setting its priorities.

However, from a community perspective, the Convention expressed grave reservations about the capacity of Departments to respond positively and to effectively engage in joined-up working.  It also was exasperated that the Greater Shankill had been at this point before as a community, largely without being listened to.

It was in this context that the Convention committed itself to engage in the Neighbourhood Renewal planning process.  That process commenced on 15 June 2005 when the Convention set priority themes and established nine Task Groups around them to engage in developing a Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plan for Greater Shankill.  The process took over two years and actively involved over three hundred people and has sought to engage statutory agencies and Government Departments, along with the community.  In April 2008, the Neighbourhood Action Plan was launched. 

Still Evolving

A review of the 2008 Action Plan, and all the Actions and Outcomes within it, was completed in August, 2010; it showed significant success in addressing the actions recommended.

The nine Task Groups have reviewed, revised and reformulated the 2008 Action Plan, removing actions completed and identifying actions required to be on-going.  In addition, the Action Plan has been reformulated around the generational needs of the children, young people and families in the community.

The Greater Shankill Neighbourhood Renewal Area Action Plan has been approved by the Greater Shankill Community Convention and adopted by the Greater Shankill Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership.