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”
Climate and Nature: A Vision for the Connswater Community Greenway a new report commissioned by EastSide Greenways and the Groundswell Consortium and developed by The Paul Hogarth Company has now launched.
In 2023 EastSide Greenways and the GroundsWell Consortium commissioned a collaborative process to look at Connswater Community Greenway through the lens of climate resilience, adaptation, nature conservation and self-sustainability. The document created summarises the findings and recommendations of that process, researched and facilitated by Landscape Architects, The Paul Hogarth Company.
As opportunities arise it is hoped that the proposals of this report can be actioned in the short to medium term by many parties, contributing to the urgent need for climate and nature action across the city and beyond.
To get in touch about how to input into the delivery of this vision email jacqueline@eastsidepartnership.com.
The UKCRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health NI led a multidisciplinary team to win a prestigious Medical Research Council award to evaluate the Connswater Community Greenway (CCG) and its impacts on physical activity and the healthy of the local population in East Belfast.
What was unique about our bid to the National Prevention Research Initiative was that it brought together a partnership of at least four government departments (including Department for Social Development, Department for Regional Development, Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, and Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety NI), the Public Health Agency and academics from a range of disciplines to produce a proposal to evaluate the £32M CCG project which will improve the built environment and quality of life in East Belfast.
This natural experiment will contribute significantly to the evidence base and has created much excitement internationally in the public health research community.
To get in touch with the research team email parc@qub.ac.uk.
If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest news and events from EastSide Greenways please enter your details below to sign up to our mailing list.
Website developed by Avec Solutions
Copyright © 2022 EastSide Greenways
