PLANNING approval has been granted for a new public park and playground in the Colin Neighbourhood area of west Belfast.
Situated along the Stewartstown Road, the new facility, which is being funded by the Executive Office through its Urban Villages Initiative, will include four main active zones.
These include a play and imagination zones playground, which will have a range of accessible and sensory equipment, enabling children of all abilities to play safely together while the activity and interaction zone will have space for outdoor fitness and a cycle pump track, as well as marked routes for walking, jogging, running and cycling.
The community and leisure zone will have a large grass area with reinforced surfacing and drainage, allowing for a full programme of events such as summer festivals, concerts, community fun days, markets and fairs while the learning and exploration zone will be a place that can be used by all visitors and local groups and schools as an outdoor classroom area.
Belfast City Council this week granted planning permission for the new park. Work is due to start on site in the spring and be completed by mid-2020.
Councillor Matt Garrett, chair of Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee, said the project is a "significant investment in the Colin area".
"A park of this size will offer something for people of all ages and abilities, whether they want to walk the dog, go for a run, take the children to the play park, or just spend some time in peaceful surroundings," he said.
"Work on the park will take place while the new £15 million Brook Leisure Centre, located just a short distance away, also takes shape as part of council’s leisure transformation programme for the city.
"Both of these projects will significantly contribute towards council’s commitment to regenerate local neighbourhoods, creating places where local people can improve their health and wellbeing."
