Minister for Social Development, David Hanson, has today confirmed a £5 million funding package for the Dunclug area of Ballymena.



The Minister said: "I visited Dunclug in November to launch a proposed Action Plan for the area which I believed could transform the prospects of the estate. To ensure that the Action Plan had the support of the local community, I encouraged local people to study it and pass their views to the Department. I am happy to say that the Plan has been almost universally welcomed and I am now able to approve it to be delivered on the ground."

The Action Plan announced by the Minister covers a four year period between January 2007 and March 2011 and includes 21 actions in three key areas:



• The physical condition of the estate. Measures include extensive work by the Housing Executive to upgrade the housing stock – including some demolition and new building. A new link road will be created between Dunclug Park and Dunclug Gardens. Street lighting will be improved and a new playpark built;
• Crime and anti-social behaviour. The PSNI intends to allocate an additional, full time police officer to the beat in Dunclug. The new Police Community Support Officers will also be piloted in the town;
• Community cohesion and youth issues. The new funding will ensure the continuation of existing schemes, such as Parents and Kids Together, and will establish additional youth workers and a new school-based initiative.

The Minister continued: "This plan involves the Department for Social Development and Northern Ireland Housing Executive providing at least £5 million of new money for Dunclug over the next four years. The first project to be delivered with DSD money will be street lighting improvements for the Millfield area of Dunclug, which we expect to be completed by the end of March this year.

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This investment in Dunclug will complement what we are doing in other parts of Ballymena under the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, where we have already spent or committed £3.65 million. The scale of the investment we are making in this and other parts of Ballymena demonstrate the level of our commitment to tackle poverty and renew communities in the town."

(EF)