Environment Minister Alex Attwood has announced a new initiative between the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and Carrickfergus Borough Council regarding the ongoing management of Carrickfergus Castle.

The two year Innovation Trial is the first of its kind for any major heritage site in Northern Ireland and will see a much greater role played by the local council in the management, running and promotion of Carrickfergus Castle.

Minister Attwood said: "This new partnership approach between NIEA and Carrickfergus Borough Council is aimed at realising the full economic and social value of Carrickfergus Castle whilst ensuring the local community can further enjoy and benefit from more visitors to the town and the Castle.

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"This arrangement is the first of its kind for any major heritage site in Northern Ireland and, if successful, could serve as a model for other NIEA-managed heritage sites across the North."

The trial will last initially for two years, during which time the strategy and development of the Castle will be overseen by a steering group with equal representation from NIEA and Carrickfergus Borough Council as well as a representative from Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

The partnership aims to increase the level of local input into the management, operation and marketing of the Castle with a view to increasing the local sense of community involvement in the site as well as maximising the potential tourist and economic benefit to the town as a whole.

Town Mayor, Alderman Billy Ashe said: "We are grateful to the NIEA for the commitment and effort that has gone into establishing this partnership and we are, rightly, proud to have been selected as the first "Innovation Trial" of this kind in Northern Ireland.

"Carrickfergus Castle has been at the very heart of our town for many centuries and yet, in recent years, the walls have perhaps appeared as much symbolic as they have physical to the citizens of the Borough. This partnership, the result of many years of lobbying by Council Members, has the potential to allow for a genuine re-engagement between this iconic landmark and the people who live and work in its immense shadow."

(CD/MH)