Northern Ireland

National Lottery award £3m for Divis and the Black Mountain project

Nearly £3m of Lottery funding has been awarded for conservation and improved visitor access at Divis and the Black Mountain. PICTURE: NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/CHRIS LACEY
Nearly £3m of Lottery funding has been awarded for conservation and improved visitor access at Divis and the Black Mountain. PICTURE: NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/CHRIS LACEY
By Allan Preston

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded almost £3 million for a conservation project in Belfast that will enhance public access to Divis and Black Mountain.

As part of the ‘Divis: A View to the Future’ project, the grant of £2,997,000 was awarded to an area with a “stunning natural habitat, linking to the heritage and culture of the city of Belfast which surrounds it”.

After the National Trust first acquired land at Divis Mountain in 2004 and Black Mountain in 2007, the latest funding will be used “to restore, improve and enhance the natural landscape whilst increasing opportunities for community engagement with heritage and nature”.

The award is part of a wider £15.6m in funding from the National Lottery designed to help more people access nature across the UK, including areas from Brighton to St Andrews and London.

Not limited to those near the countryside, one of the other major donations is £4.3 million to create “A Garden Fit For a King” to restore the historic Royal Pavilion Estate in Brighton and Hove, including the unique Regency period Garden.

Dr Paul Mullan from The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “This project will be transformative, opening walking routes that connect communities currently cut off from the nature on their doorstep, providing new and improved facilities and protecting the biodiversity of the hills that are iconic to Belfast’s skyline”.

The conservation work will restore up to 133 hectares of peatland, which will improve blanket bog to reduce carbon loss and water run-off to improve water quality.

New and rejuvenated spaces will also be developed for use by the community, staff, volunteers and visitors.

Disused and derelict buildings are to be transformed into a new café and visitor hub, while an existing barn will host an exhibition space and staff accommodation.

Another feature will be an outdoor learning area including new ponds and “new waymarking and interpretation” will enhance the visitor experience along with new benches at viewpoints.

Heather McLachlan from the National Trust in Northern Ireland said: “We want it to be a place where everyone feels they belong.

“We’ll do this by working in partnership with the local community, who are at the heart of our work.”

An estimated 3,500 people will now have the chance to take part in a three-year activity programme that will include an oral history project, workshops and community walks.

Five full and part-time roles have also been created to manage the project, overseeing volunteering and community engagement and to welcome visitors.