| Crumlin Rd Gaol |
|
| Client: | BDP |
| Project: | FSquared worked as part of the BDP team to carry out a Masterplan for a mixed use scheme within the site. |
| Location: | Belfast |
| Value: | £ |
| Status: | Masterplan completed |
Outcomes
The Need
The site is in a highly sensitive area of Belfast which has experienced high levels of community conflict over the last twenty years. There was a need for the masterplanning exercise to be sensitive to the political and historical context in the area and there was also a need to ensure that the masterplanning exercise acted as a catalyst for bringing communities together
Our Response
The planned redevelopment was of real concern for communities from both sides of the religious divide and plans were tested throughout with an advisory panel, with representatives from key agencies and political representatives of both communities. North Belfast is an area that has experienced significant economic decline. It was felt that some of the political sensitivities of the site could be overcome by bringing local communities on board through demonstrating the local economic advantage that the project would deliver.
FSquared were involved in the development and delivery of community consultation sessions. Consultation was run on a single community basis initially and involved a cross community workshop taking place. This was hugely significant to the project as it was the first time that representatives from the two communities had met to discuss the future of their area.
Our work included:-
Public consultation and engagement
Developing added value socio-economic proposals around key areas including housing, training and employment, and social and community enterprise – these included:
-proposals for a on site learning hub supported by CITB Northern Ireland
-affordable housing approaches which would accommodate the housing needs of both communities
-proposals for the creation of a community development trust which would allow the community to own and manage the Gaol as an asset
-presenting proposals to the advisory panel
Articulating ideas within the final masterplan.
The Benefits
The overall benefit of our involvement was that communities were engaged properly in the masterplanning process. Their needs and concerns were then fed directly into the development of socio-economic proposals that were articulated in the final masterplan. The final masterplan will now guide development that is conducive with the needs and aspirations of the communities involved.
The Need
The site is in a highly sensitive area of Belfast which has experienced high levels of community conflict over the last twenty years. There was a need for the masterplanning exercise to be sensitive to the political and historical context in the area and there was also a need to ensure that the masterplanning exercise acted as a catalyst for bringing communities together
Our Response
The planned redevelopment was of real concern for communities from both sides of the religious divide and plans were tested throughout with an advisory panel, with representatives from key agencies and political representatives of both communities. North Belfast is an area that has experienced significant economic decline. It was felt that some of the political sensitivities of the site could be overcome by bringing local communities on board through demonstrating the local economic advantage that the project would deliver.
FSquared were involved in the development and delivery of community consultation sessions. Consultation was run on a single community basis initially and involved a cross community workshop taking place. This was hugely significant to the project as it was the first time that representatives from the two communities had met to discuss the future of their area.
Our work included:-
-proposals for a on site learning hub supported by CITB Northern Ireland
-affordable housing approaches which would accommodate the housing needs of both communities
-proposals for the creation of a community development trust which would allow the community to own and manage the Gaol as an asset
-presenting proposals to the advisory panel
The Benefits
The overall benefit of our involvement was that communities were engaged properly in the masterplanning process. Their needs and concerns were then fed directly into the development of socio-economic proposals that were articulated in the final masterplan. The final masterplan will now guide development that is conducive with the needs and aspirations of the communities involved.