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Advisory Panel For Crumlin Road Gaol And Girdwood Park 10 March 2006

A Panel has been set up to advise Government on the regeneration of the former Crumlin Road Gaol and Girdwood Barracks.

Welcoming the establishment of the Advisory Panel, Social Development Minister David Hanson MP said: “The redevelopment of these key sites offers a unique opportunity to bring significant physical, social and economic benefits to one of the most disadvantaged areas of Northern Ireland.  The involvement and commitment of local community and elected representatives is vital as is the need to secure consensus on a way forward.

“The Advisory Panel will have an important role in making recommendations to me on the future development of the site as part of a master planning process. This will be subject to a full public consultation. I am confident that this will lead to decisions on the future development of the sites which have the full support of the whole community.”

The Advisory Panel comprises:

Chair
Roy Adams OBE

Elected reps
DUP
Diane Dodds MLA
Nelson McCausland MLA

Sinn Fein
Gerry Kelly MLA
Cllr Danny Lavery

SDLP
Cllr Pat Convery

UUP
Fred Cobain MLA

Community Reps
Cliftonville Manus Maguire

Gt. Shankill Partnership Board John MacVicar

Ardoyne CEP Joe Marley

Gt. New Lodge CEP Paul Roberts

Upper North CEP Ruth Moore

Lower North CEP Ian Crozier

Statutory Bodies
Laganside Dev. Corp - Kyle Alexander

Belfast City Council Marie-Therese McGivern

Community Relations CouncilDr Duncan Morrow

DSD John McGrath

The Panel will have its first meeting on 10 March 2006 and will be chaired by Roy Adams. Mr Adams is internationally respected for his work in urban planning and regeneration.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1.Crumlin Road Gaol was transferred to OFMDFM in August 2003 under the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative. In February 2005, the Government announced its decision to close the adjacent Girdwood Army Barracks. The two sites comprise some 27 acres and occupy a strategic location due to their proximity to Belfast City centre.

2.In September 2005 the Minister announced his intention to set up a local Advisory Panel to make recommendations on the development of the Gaol and Girdwood sites. Nominations were invited from the main political parties, local Community Empowerment Partnerships (CEP) and the Greater Shankill Partnership Board.

3. Originally from Carrickfergus and a graduate of Queen's University Belfast, Mr Roy Adams is an Executive Director with Laing O'Rourke, an international construction company based in England. He was formerly the Chief Executive of Europe's largest Architect-Engineering practice, Building Design Partnership (BDP). During that time his firm completed projects such as Castle Court and new offices for Belfast City Council. He was joint author of the concept plan for Laganside and also led master-planning projects in Carrickfergus and Londonderry. He has worked continuously on regeneration projects in Northern Ireland, particularly housing. Mr Adams has led several panels of expert advisors on European development projects and was a member of the Secretary of State's awards panel for partnership in regeneration. He was part of a three-man team, which prepared the North Belfast Community Action Project Report (Dunlop Report) to address social and community issues in North Belfast. Mr Adams has been acting as a strategic advisor to OFMDFM in devising a plan for the redevelopment of the Crumlin Road Gaol.

4. Media queries to the Press Office, Department for Social Development, on 028 9082 9078.