The Neighbourhood Renewal Programme in Northern Ireland
In 2005 the Northern Ireland Executive launched a new approach to tackling the symptoms and causes of deprivation in the region which sought to renew neighbourhoods and ensure that no one would be disadvantaged by where they lived. The lead department for this initiative, the Department of Social Development (DSD) used measures of multiple socio-economic deprivation to designate "Neighbourhood Renewal Areas" across Northern Ireland. Additional Government funds were to be targeted at these areas to try to break the vicious cycle of deprivation which limited opportunity for people living there. As well as this DSD-managed Neighbourhood Renewal budget, the intention of the Programme was to encourage Government more generally to be sensitive to the needs of Neighbourhood Renewal Areas and where possible to amend policy and direct spending to help overcome the causes of deprivation in these areas; so-called "bending the spend".
The Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Area
As part of the Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Renewal Programme, a large part of Newry City was designated a Neighbourhood Renewal Area. This area comprised all of Newry City west of the Newry Canal (known as Newry West) as well as a small area in the eastern inner city. 10,000 people live in this Neighbourhood Renewal Area. For a more detailed profile of the individual wards and super output areas which make up the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Area see the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) website here (opens in a new window).
The Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy has 4 main strategic objectives:
•Community Renewal
To develop confident communities that are able and committed to improving the quality of life in the most deprived neighbourhoods.
•Economic renewal
To develop economic activity in the most deprived neighbourhoods and connect them to the wider urban economy.
•Social renewal
To improve social conditions for the people who live in the most deprived neighbourhoods through better co-ordinated public services and the creation of safer environments.
•Physical renewal
To help create attractive, safe, sustainable environments in the most deprived neighbourhoods.
