Mid and East Antrim (MEA) Borough Council has been awarded over £5 million under the new PEACEPLUS programme which will fund works to improve community and sports facilities.

The council is inviting Expressions of Interest applications from local groups and organisations for the following programmes:

• Community/Sports Facilities Capital Enhancement Programme – a small capital programme aimed at developing and enhancing areas or buildings in the Borough to upgrade them to a higher standard in order to increase usage, with the aim of improving cross-community relations and community cohesion. Successful organisations will be required to deliver an activity plan inclusive of all community backgrounds.

The total budget available for the programme is £300,000 (excluding professional and statutory fees). The minimum budget request is £20,000, with a maximum budget request of £30,000 towards a total project cost of up to £50,000.

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• Community/Sports Facilities Major Capital Works Programme – a strategic capital programme which aims to invest in three strategically significant community/sports facilities (one per legacy council area of Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne).

These projects aim to create a more cohesive society through the development of three transformative shared spaces, which will support and embed peace and reconciliation outcomes.

The three strategic capital projects will act as PEACEPLUS flagship projects which aim to sustain continuous community engagement efforts. These initiatives are tasked with fostering enduring peace and reconciliation outcomes throughout the lifespan of the Programme and into the future.

The total budget available for the programme is £600,000. A budget of £200,000 (excluding professional and statutory fees) will be available per strategically significant community/sports facilities project (one per legacy council area of Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne).

Chair of the PEACEPLUS Partnership Board, Alderman Paul Reid, said: "As a partnership we have overseen the co-design of the Local Community Action Plan for the Borough to date, which has included running consultation workshops and events since 2022 - which allowed our communities to have their say in relation to the needs and priorities included in the Action Plan.

"The opening of the Expression of Interest for the two capital programmes is an important step which will benefit increased numbers of users of our community and sports facilities, as well as help further shape the action plan and application to be submitted to the Special EU Programmes Body by end of March 2024."