LAGAN
CORRIDOR
In May 2001 Lagan Valley Island proudly played host to several hundred delegates
attending the 2001 World Canals Conference that was held in
Ireland for the first time. Lisburn City Council worked with colleagues in
the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure and Waterways Ireland
to ensure that the new Lagan Valley Island was a scheduled visit for those
attending the Conference.
Volunteers from the Inland Waterways Group, provided river trips departing
from the Civic Centre at Lagan Valley Island. This was the first time in over
forty years that there had been boats on the river in Lisburn and set the
scene for several more boating events throughout the year.
The Council is working to improve links between Lisburn City Centre and the
riverside area including Lagan Valley Island. The proposed refurbishment of
Castle Gardens will open up an important open space, situated within
the Lagan Valley Regional Park, providing a link between the Lagan
Riverside and the city centre. The restoration of the Gardens seeks to maintain
and improve the physical and visual links with the river and Lagan Valley
Island.
Lisburn City Council has continued its programme of much needed environmental
improvements in the Millbrook Huguenot riverside area. Access to the
riverside area at Millbrook was enhanced and improved by landscaping and the
site secured with the assistance of Voluntary Services Lisburn who
cleared vegetation, resurfaced paths, replaced seats and painted out graffiti.
The Council has compiled an exhaustive report on development opportunity sites
within the Lagan Corridor and made a submission to the Belfast Metropolitan
Area Plan (BMAP) office on how these sites might be enhanced or developed.
One of the principal functions of the BMAP is to establish a planning framework
for the plan area supported by land use planning policies for the period up
to 2015. This has provided Lisburn City Council with an opportunity to influence
the planning policy for the future of the Lagan Corridor. The Council is also
consulting with significant private sector land owners within the Lagan Corridor
to encourage and support any schemes they might wish to take forward.
 |
Staff from the Lagan Corridor Office and Voluntary Service Lisburn during a riverside clean-up operation. |
 |
The Children's Duck Derby. |
A
key part of the Lagan Corridor strategy is continuing to educate and promote
awareness of the river. To this end the Council worked in partnership with
the BBC to produce a programme for schools, Key Stage 2, which focused on
the history of the River Lagan. A number of very popular and successful events
were staged around the river at Lagan Valley Island including the children’s
Duck Derby (above) which was attended by several hundred children from
local schools and summer schemes.
 |
"Lagan Journey" BBC Children's programme. |
Plans are already underway for the development ofa new Lagan Corridor Strategic
framework and implementation plan in late 2002. This new plan will detail
a range of new projects to be effected, and will be guided by the following
principals:
> Joined up thinking
Project Team “partnership”
Consensus approach
Interdepartmental co-operation
> Shared ownership
Community Support
Involvement of key stakeholders / landowners
Agreed responsibilities
> Balanced solutions
Protection of the natural environment
Regeneration of the riverside
Sustainable economic development
> Visionary Advocacy document
Innovative thinking drawing on best practice
Robust and achievable objectives
This plan will consolidate and build on the work already undertaken in the
early stages of realising the development vision.
