Shared Space: From Jargon to Action - 4 March 2010

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.  It is a pleasure to be here and I want to congratulate the Community Relations Council for organising this seminar. The Council’s persistence in highlighting the social and economic damage that is a result of our divided society and in trying to generate discussion about possible solutions leading to a Shared Future  is exemplary.

And of course a crucial factor in how we tackle that division and segregation is how we build and regenerate shared space which I understand is at the centre of your discussions today

I know your focus is on Belfast and indeed Belfast certainly faces challenges generated by that physical separation; a city that has more that 30 so called peace walls that look like prison walls does not suggest to visitors that this is a safe place to live or  a potentially profitable place to invest. I am sure many visitors wonder whether those walls are there to keep people in or to keep people out!

In a recent speech Sir George Quigley reflected on this isolating nature of our segregated world. . He said;

“Segregated communities become echo chambers where only the views of the like-minded are heard and people wall themselves off from topics and opinions they prefer to avoid.”

It is encouraging to see an increasing awareness and challenge from leaders in civic society about our divided community so it is a particular privilege to open your seminar today as you are bringing these difficult topics out into the open and using the discussion as a means to action.

If we are to thrive socially and economically we have no choice but to tackle our segregated community. There is now a substantial body of evidence to support the fact that a peaceful society and economic progress go hand in hand. The 2006 unpublished study ‘The Financial Cost of the Divide’ provides clear evidence of the substantial additional costs of delivering public services to a divided community. In the current economic climate this is not a long term option for us if we are to achieve economic success

But notwithstanding the continued difficulties we face we should not ignore or underestimate the substantial change achieved over the last 15 years. We have made substantial progress in the establishment of devolved political institutions and in moving away from violence and I have to say that I doubt that the debate we are now engaged in would have happened 10 years ago.

And I do know from the public meetings I organised across Northern Ireland last year that there is an appetite and an impatience to see real progress towards a Shared Future. And much of that impatience focuses on politicians and our failure so far to agree a way forward.

I am therefore pleased that at last the DUP and Sinn Fein have got to the point of agreeing for consultation the Cohesion, Sharing and Integration strategy. Other members of the Executive have not yet seen the document that will go out to consultation so I cannot comment on the content.

But what will be important is that the document leads to concrete action. As an Executive we need to agree a long term vision, a practical framework and the necessary resources for achieving that Shared Future  The current absence of political leadership from the Executive and the Assembly for an agreed position on taking forward a Shared Future is a serious impediment to progress.

Since I have been Minister for Social Development working towards a Shared Future has been my key priority. And creating shared spaces where all feel welcome is at the heart of those endeavours.

Shared space is key, for our towns and city centres and for our communities.  

So my Department’s masterplans and public realm schemes have as a core objective making public spaces attractive,  helping to focus our efforts on enabling our people to relax and live at peace together.

I have also launched a Shared Neighbourhood Programme that will result in 30 existing estates being designated as Shared Neighbourhoods over the next three years. We will support these neighbourhoods in both word and deed, facilitating their transformation to neighbourhoods that are welcoming to all and threatening to none.

And it is really encouraging that the first 30 Neighbourhoods  have all volunteered to take part in the Programme, demonstrating that the surveys which say people want to live together reflect what people really want, to live together in communities where they feel safe rather than single identity estates separated by peace walls.

It is equally important that we provide this housing across our new build programme as well. Every new public housing development which my Department funds is now in effect screened to test whether it would be suitable as a Shared development

And I want to see the voluntary and community sector contribute to that shared goal. Many organisations we already support do so  and I want to increasingly focus on supporting community development programmes that are focused on shared future objectives.

So I wish you well in you discussions today. To continue to move forward requires that we work together to develop a vision and practical actions for a Shared Future. I can promise you that as Minister for Social Development I will be championing work that makes our cities and towns accessible and welcoming to all. And I trust that your discussions will help us in mapping out that way forward to ensure that future generations live in a peaceful, safe and economically successful Northern Ireland

Thank you