In 2024 EastSide Greenways (ESG) and researchers from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), appointed Studio idir and Baroudeur Consultancy to undertake a stakeholder and community engagement process that would look at the Connswater Community Greenway through the lens of accessibility and inclusion with an emphasis on engaging with older people and people with disabilities.
Accessibility and inclusion were thoughtfully considered in the
initial design of the Connswater Community Greenway but it is also true that the range of accessibility issues across Belfast is complex and growing, with an ageing and increasingly diverse population.
This consultation was delivered through a mix of interactive engagement, conversations and surveys with practitioners working alongside people living with accessibility issues and of course with people who have lived experience of issues with access to greenways, parks and open spaces.
By documenting the lived experience of older people and people with disabilities as they use the Connswater
Community Greenway, this investigation allowed us to provide evidence which would help to support the work of EastSide Greenways to promote further changes and updates to improve access to this Greenway.
The report produced details the process and findings of this consultation and outlines recommendations to take forward which have been categorised through, short, medium and long term goals.
Launching the Connswater Community Greenway: Access and Inclusion Study, Jacqueline O’Hagan, EastSide Greenways Manager said:
“‘In one respect the Connswater Community Greenway is complete. In another, the story is just beginning. The Greenway is a ‘living landmark’ which is constantly shaped by the people living in East Belfast and using the space, in the same way it was shaped for those same people. One of the core functions of EastSide Greenways work is to ensure that the Connswater Community Greenway continues to improve and to give back to the community. Through partnerships with QUB and consultation processes like this, we are able to achieve this goal. It is important to listen to those with lived experience so that we can bring their voice to decision makers in shaping the future of the Greenway”
Professor Ruth Hunter from Queens University Belfast said:
“We know that our green and blue spaces such as greenways, parks and rivers are really important for our health and wellbeing. However, it is crucial that these spaces and the programmes and events that are provided in them, are accessible for everyone to enjoy. This is an important piece of work that provided us with the opportunity to listen to and learn from those with lived experiences of disabilities and the challenges they often face when coming to these spaces. The report also provides some useful, practical guidance in terms of how we can improve the accessibility and inclusion of these spaces and their events that can be applied to our green and blue spaces.”
EastSide Greenways are delighted to be part of plans announced last week for a new UK-wide initiative seeking to help local communities stand up for nature in their neighbourhoods, tackling the global climate and nature crises at a local level.
Three-quarters of people in the UK are worried about the state of nature (YouGov, 2022), yet we are in the bottom 10% of countries globally for protecting it (Biodiversity Intactness Index, Natural History Museum). In March 2023, the People’s Plan for Nature set out recommendations to reverse the UK’s shocking declines in nature, including calls for greater investment in ways to help communities take action to protect and renew nature at a neighbourhood level. The Nature Neighbourhoods project is a direct response to those calls.
As part of the Nature Neighbourhoods project, 18 community organisations will receive support from three of the UK’s largest nature charities – the RSPB, WWF and the National Trust – to create people-powered plans for nature in their local area. Each Nature Neighbourhood plan will be created with local communities, and as such will centre on the community’s priorities for tackling the nature and climate crises, bringing together communities and decision makers to find solutions, and help ensure nature is an essential part of future planning.
Rory Crawford, Project manager for the Nature Neighbourhoods partnership, said, ‘Urban nature doesn’t tend to be the focus of wildlife documentaries. But 86% of us live in urban areas, and they present the biggest opportunity for people to access and take action for nature on a day-to-day basis. Efforts to improve access and tackle the biodiversity and climate crises have not tended to focus on neighbourhoods experiencing high levels of deprivation, but the local community organisations involved in this project are at the forefront of addressing this, through community gardens, improving parks, connecting people to nature, community inclusion, creating new green spaces and supporting safe, active travel.’
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