The new hub is expected to be built by 2027
A community in North Belfast said their new hub will be the “heartbeat” of the estate. For over a decade, the Glencairn community have been campaigning for a new hub at the centre of the area to bring neighbours together.
Earlier this month, the Department for Communities confirmed they intend to provide the shortfall funding amount of £430,000 to make the Glencairn Community Hub a reality.
Members of Glencairn Community Project said the hub will be a “gamechanger” for the area, which they said is an estate often “forgotten.” The new hub is expected to be built by 2027, and will be placed in the middle of the area.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, chairperson of Glencairn Community Project, Jennifer Taylor, said many people in the area have worked over decades to make the new centre a reality. She’s hoping it will be a space to bring neighbours together, and give further opportunities to local children.
Jennifer said: “We’ve recently just got word we made up the very large amount of shortfall that was previously outstanding, so we’re really excited and things are moving along very quickly. The hub has now gone for planning permission, and hopefully after that we’ll be ready to start the tender stages.
“Building will commence after that, and within a couple of years we’ll have a brand new building up and running. It’s going to be a brand new building made to spec, the designs are already done from the architects, obviously it’s subject to change but it’s going to look absolutely incredible.”
As for what the local community can expect from the new hub, she added: “It’s going to be open for everybody to use, the school will be operating an after schools programme, and we’ll have local community groups using it. The youth club we’ll be using it, then it’ll be accessible to our own community for any needs and wants they may have, it’s there for everybody to use and enjoy.
“We have our youth club which used to operate out of a flat, which really wasn’t substantial nor up to standard. The youth club is now operating out of St Andrew’s three nights a week and the numbers have dramatically increased, so now there will be a massive space for kids to use.
“We also envisage we’ll have some level of social enterprises built in. That could look like a playgroup, a 4G pitch, anything at all that will bring employment and things for our area to benefit and grow. It’s a brilliant step up for the area.
“The community is buzzing and once we get a solid name, which we’re hoping to run a naming competition for, it’ll give us that bit of oomph to carry us over. The next two years are going to be quite strenuous but worth every bit of it.”
The Department for Communities have confirmed they are working with Belfast City Council to make up the £430,000 funding shortfall for the hub. Further funding that has been secured includes £700,000 from the Council’s Belfast Investment Fund and a further £200,000 from the authority’s Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund.
Ryan McFarlane from Glencairn Community Project added that getting plans for the hub secured has been a “hard battle” over many years. He said: “This is massive for everyone in the community and I know a lot of what we’re looking at is for the young people, but this will be for the whole wider community.
“The hub will have so many different programmes in it, that not just us are gonna be running, but different organisations we’re hoping are going to be coming in and helping to run.
“Whether it be for mums and toddlers, whether it be an after schools club, then there’s the youth club too. For the past few years, Glencairn’s first youth club that used to operate out of the old school, it’s been a complete fight trying to get something back up for the young people of Glencairn. It’s been a hard battle.”
Video by Belfast Live videographer Harry Bateman.
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