A summary of Urban II

Background

Urban II focuses on inner North Belfast and the programme implementing body is the North Belfast Partnership. The European Commission approved the URBAN II Community Initiative Programme (CIP) for NI on 18 December 2000. The programme strategy and priorities were drawn up by DSD and revised as necessary by the Programme Monitoring Committee.

An Ex Ante appraisal has taken place on the content and consistency of the priorities and Measures and the scope and content of the CIP.

Inner North Belfast has some of the highest levels of spatial deprivation in NI and is deeply segregated along religious lines. The population is 31,902 and the total programme is valued at €17,125,244, of which €10,623,932 is ERDF, €5,591,312 is public funding and €910,000 is from the private sector.

Programme structure

Within the programme complement Urban II is divided into three priorities. Each priority is divided into Measures, which set out the specific issues to be addressed, actions and the outcome.

Priority One: developing the potential of physical and social resources. It aims to address the blighting effects of the six peace lines in North Belfast, re-use redundant land and buildings for economic and social uses and improve the external environment in key entry points around commercial business and eyesore sites.

The Measures associated with this priority are:

Measure 1.1 Sharing Places - aims to regenerate contested interface areas in inner North Belfast through the following key objectives:

• regenerating physical interfaces in North Belfast
• increasing the safety and confidence of people living in contested places
• exploring the potential of built alternatives to peace walls through a consensual dialogue with local people
• building cross-community alliances in the regeneration of interfaces areas.

Measure 1.2 Providing physical opportunity - seeks to regenerate derelict land and property in inner North Belfast through a number of key activities including the:

• removal of the worst effects of blight in inner North Belfast
• use of empty and derelict property for positive economic and social uses
• development of the resources of vacant sites in inner North Belfast for the benefit of local people.

Measure 1.3 Environmental Improvements - to improve the attractiveness of the physical environment in North Belfast by:

• removing the worst effects of blight in inner North Belfast
• improving the attractiveness of entry points to the area
• upgrading the quality of arterial routes running through and across inner North Belfast.

Priority Two: developing the potential of people resources. This priority seeks to connect especially disadvantaged groups with growth sectors and geographic areas in the urban economy. It will largely be achieved through the removal of key obstacles and by maximising business opportunities in high growth business areas.

The measures under this priority are as follows

Measure 2.1 Accessibility - aims to link the population of inner North Belfast to opportunities in the mainstream economy through the following objectives. To:

• improve literacy and numeracy standards in the area
• provide clearer links between disadvantaged people and the opportunities available in the mainstream economy
• remove barriers to employment especially for women
• provide innovative transport options to link unemployed people with job opportunities in the urban economy
• provide skills training in communications and information technology
• provide skills training relevant to traditional areas sectors in the regional economy.

Measure 2.2 Development of Community Businesses and the Social Economy - will focus on the development of the capacity of the social economy to regenerate inner North Belfast through a number of activities including development of

• social entrepreneurship within the area
• community businesses especially in high growth areas of the economy
• the capacity of the intermediary labour market in inner North Belfast.

Measure 2.3

Community Capacity - seeks to develop the capacity and skills of local people in urban regeneration and the needs of the URBAN II Initiative by developing community capacity in local development and community regeneration

• developing the skills and substantive knowledge required to implement URBAN II effectively and efficiently
• building lasting and sustainable competencies in the community after the formal completion of the URBAN II Community Initiative.

Priority Three: Technical Assistance.

Resources have been allocated to the management and implementation of the Programme. They provide for the monitoring and evaluation of the programme, for publicity and for the costs associated with the Monitoring Committee. This allocation of monies is taken from Priority Three and can be subdivided into two measures that are required to ensure successful programme implementation.

Measure 3.1

Programme Resources - aims to ensure that resources are protected to ensure that the Programme is delivered effectively and efficiently. The main objective is to develop appropriate structures to manage the delivery and management of the URBAN II initiative in North Belfast.

Measure 3.2

Technical Assistance - To ensure that the technical competencies are available to implement the programme effectively and efficiently as follows. To ensure that the appropriate research, feasibility and investment appraisals are conducted to ensure that URBAN II resources are used efficiently develop monitoring and evaluation systems required to report the progress of the Initiative towards its objectives publicise the Initiative to target groups and the broader public.

Visit www.eugrants.org to read the full Urban II Operational Programme.