Belfast City Council has announced the official opening of a new EU PEACE IV-funded shared community building, as part of events to mark Good Relations Week 2024.

Over 30 metres of peace wall was removed to make way for the £7 million Black Mountain Shared Space at the former Finlay’s factory site on Ballygomartin Road.

The new building will provide vital services for local residents and an extensive programme of activities to encourage people from different backgrounds to spend time together.

It follows the opening of the £7.8 million EU-funded Shankill Shared Women’s Centre earlier this year.

The project was funded by the EU’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Match-funding has been provided by the Department for Communities and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland. Funding was also provided by Belfast City Council.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA said: "I would like to congratulate the lead partner, Belfast City Council and the project partner, Black Mountain Shared Space Project, on their achievement in delivering this superb facility which will provide vital services for all members of the local community.

"Today’s opening is the culmination of the many years of cross community engagement which preceded the development of this new building. It will be a fabulous, shared asset for all the people in the surrounding area. My department wants to support actions that make a real positive change to the lives of communities, families and individuals and I am confident that the Black Mountain Shared Space Project, and all that it offers, will deliver positive and long-lasting impacts for people of all ages and backgrounds."

Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development Joe O’Brien TD said: "I am delighted to see the completion of the Black Mountain Shared Space project, for which over €8.2m in funding was approved under the EU PEACE IV Programme.

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"This project has had a transformative effect on the West Belfast area, with the creation of an iconic shared space at the foot of the Black Mountain. I have no doubt that this new common area will boost interaction between people and communities from all backgrounds.

"I want to congratulate Belfast City Council and their project partners, Black Mountain Shared Space Project, NI Housing Executive and Northside Partnership in Dublin for all their hard work and dedication in the development and implementation of this project, it is a credit to all involved."

"I am very pleased that my Department of Rural and Community Development, in collaboration with the Special EU Programmes Body and the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, was able to provide funding and support to this wonderful project to ensure its successful delivery."

Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), said: "The PEACE Programmes realised the extensive benefits of investing in the creation of shared spaces, such as the superb Black Mountain facility. They can provide an essential catalyst for socio-economic change – bringing people together, while also transforming and regenerating what may have previously been areas and communities that felt left behind and alienated.

"This work is vital in our society in relation to finding opportunities for peacebuilding, reconciliation and delivering a more inclusive place for this and future generations. These spaces help to break down stereotypes, dispel prejudices and promote a sense of mutual respect and understanding.

"Segregation increases social division and tension, which in turn also inhibits economic development and the efficient delivery of public services. Shared spaces are designed to be used by everyone across the community; changing attitudes and behaviours with a corresponding reduction in segregation."

Lord Mayor Councillor Micky Murray said: "This building will be transformative for the local communities that it will serve. As well as providing a base to deliver vital services for people of all ages and backgrounds, it will act as a catalyst for the physical and social regeneration of the area.

"The key aim of this project was to create welcoming, safe, shared spaces for people from different community backgrounds to mix. As well as being a hub for community development, it will offer comprehensive programmes of activities to enable communities that have been historically divided to build positive futures together.

"Alongside Forth Meadow Community Greenway, our third PEACE IV-funded shared space project, around £21 million has been invested in north and west Belfast to support peace and reconciliation. This has helped create a ‘peace corridor’ stretching from Black Mountain to the city centre in areas which have the highest concentration of peace walls in the city."

Paul Millar, Chair of Black Mountain Shared Space said: "BMSS was established in 2010 to break down barriers and improve community relations. This fantastic new building will make a huge difference to our work. It will provide us with the space to deliver much more joint programming and that will in turn help bring the two neighbouring communities together more regularly. It gives us a base to build towards a positive, shared future."