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PEACE IV Shared Spaces
Forth Meadow Community Greenway is a new £5.1million EU PEACE IV-funded project to connect existing open spaces in north and west Belfast along a 12km route from Clarendon Playing Fields to the new Transport Hub in the city centre.
The capital works will create paths and cycle ways along the route, with additional planting, new pathway surfaces, new street furniture, signage, wayfinding and public art. There will also be enhancements to sites along the route including Springfield Park, which has been completed.
In parallel with the capital project, we are developing an exciting community activity and events programme at key sections along the greenway to help bring communities together and promote use of the shared space.
The resource allocation element of the PEACE IV Shared Space and Services project closed to applications on Monday 20 March.
This project will support cross-community events and activities across two or more sites along the completed sections of the greenway.
There are five distinct sections to the capital works.
This section of the greenway is now complete. It saw new paths, lighting and seating installed in Glencairn and Forthriver Parks, plus a new entrance added at Glencairn Park. Forthriver Linear Park’s path was also upgraded, and the footbridge at Forthriver Way was refurbished.
Work is underway on this section, including the creation of a new shared space known as Springvale Lands. It will include walking and cycling paths and a raised walkway over the wetlands. A new path will also connect the space to Paisley Park. Work is due to be completed by summer 2023.
This section of the greenway is now complete. It connects Springfield Road with the Whiterock Community Corridor and Falls Park. It also includes the £1.2 million redevelopment at Springfield Park including a new bridge across Springfield Dam.
Bog Meadows Nature Reserve
This section of the greenway is now complete. It saw enhancements to pathways within and connecting to the nature reserve, plus additional planting and lighting. The route connects to Broadway, where a new, welcoming entrance was added.
Westlink to city centre
This section, starting at Broadway Roundabout and ending at the new Transport Hub, will see new wayfinding signage installed. Work is expected to be completed by summer 2023.
This map shows the route of the new greenway.
On your computer, you can zoom in and out using your mouse's scroll wheel or by clicking on the zoom button in the bottom left hand corner of the map. On mobile, you can pinch and zoom or you can use the zoom buttons.
To open the map key to show the different sections of the greenway route, click the icon on the top left of the map. You can toggle the map layers on and off. Refresh the page to return to the original state.
Select the square icon on the top right to open the map in full screen, or the icon beside that to share with others.
We commissioned local visual artist, Sara Cunningham-Bell, to produce one signature sculpture and five floor art pieces for the greenway. As a group, these are named: ‘Carry Each Other, with Dialogue'.
The signature sculpture will be located on Springfield Road close to the entrance to the Innovation Factory. It will be seven metres tall and made from robust metal. It will be unveiled in spring 2023.
Its design has a number of influences including the local area’s mill history, their cogs and wheels, the many old housing estates, their apple orchards, the ring forts and their circular enclosures, including their concept as gateways to a fairy world. It is also inspired by Belfast’s community strength, its energy and a wish to continue growing dynamically as a city.
The five pieces of floor art, located in each of the greenway’s five sections, have been installed.
As part of the public art project, almost 270 children from eight primary schools have taken part in a competition called ‘Nature in Belfast, Through Pattern’. A selection of their designs will inspire patterns in the final seven-metre-tall sculpture and the content of the floor art.
This table shows the schools that took part and the competition winners.
| School | Competition winners |
|---|---|
| Bunscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh | Yasmin Mc Givern, Oisín Devine Hagans, Leah Devine Hagans and Ruairí Mac Giolla Bhéin |
| Forth River Primary | Brooke Lewis, Elijah Beagan and Harry Ingram |
| Harmony Primary | Jude Burns, Jake Hinds, Jessica Moore and Madison Hughes. |
| Mercy Primary | Ruby Osborne, Emma Ballard, Zya Magcalas, Freya Carson, Lily Matthews and Jessica Ezeobi |
| Springfield Primary | Ardie Hermon, Jamie Henderson, Georgia Go and Alfie Leslie. |
| St Clare’s Primary | Juri Ahmed, Daniel Irvine, Kimberley Morgan, John Falloon and Daire Conway |
| St Kevin’s Primary | Zuri McParland, Maria McCaffrey, Katie Keenan and Sophie Owens |
| St Paul’s Primary | Lauren McCusker Burnell, Joseph Cahill and Faith-Rose Smyth |
Keep an eye on our social media or follow artist Sara-Cunningham Bell on these channels:
We’re delivering the £5.1 million project, with funding provided by the EU’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), the Department for Infrastructure and the Department for Communities. The Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland have provided support for the PEACE IV element of the project.
Forth Meadow Community Greenway is one of three major PEACE IV shared space projects underway in Belfast.
This video, produced at the start of the project, provides an overview of the plans.
Read aloud