Belfast, United Kingdom
City population: 276895
Duration: unknown – 2017
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Unknown
Last updated: October 2021

The Connswater Community Greenway has created a 9km linear park project in East Belfast following the course of the Connswater, Knock and Loop Rivers, connecting the open and green spaces. As part of the project the Connswater River will be cleaned and brought back to life. The Greenway will create attractive, safe and accessible parkland for recreation and community activities. The project will improve the quality of life for the people of east Belfast as a whole new greener environment will emerge. (Ref1) Connswater Community Greenway is a visionary urban regeneration project that is transforming East Belfast by combining improved flood protection with the creation of public spaces and pedestrian/ cycle routes that connect communities. (Ref 6)

Connswater greenway
https://walkni.com/walks/connswater-community-greenway/

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Blue infrastructure
  • Riverbank/Lakeside greens
  • Parks and urban forests
  • Large urban parks or forests
  • Green corridors and green belts
  • Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Flood protection
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Waste management
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social interaction
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Tourism support

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Protection of natural ecosystems, Improved governance of green or blue areas, Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas

Project objectives

Connswater Community Greenway aims to improve the urban environment in a number of ways: (reference 1) 1. Additional and improved accessible and open space Improved cycle and walking paths. 2. New or improved bridges. 3. Rubbish removed from the rivers. 4. Semi-natural habitat created 5. Management and control of invasive species. 6. Ecological Status of the water environment improved. 7. Native tree planting. 8. Create hubs for education, interpretation points and tourism and heritage trails. 9. Provide a wildlife corridor from Belfast Lough to the Castlereagh Hills. 10. Engaging with community members. 11. Protecting properties from flooding

Implementation activities

16km of new walking and cycling routes made 30 new or improved bridges made 5km of restored water courses 6 tourism and heritage trails created (Ref 1)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
  • Restore native species
  • Clear and control invasive alien species
  • Restore ecological connectivity
  • Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Other

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Public sector institution

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

EastSide Partnership is a broad based social partnership with community, statutory, political and business members who are dedicated to the regeneration of East Belfast. The project has been developed by the East Belfast Partnership and is being delivered by Belfast City Council. (ref 1) conceived by the East Belfast Partnership and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, Belfast City Council, the Department for Social Development and Rivers Agency. (ref 2)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The project is part of Belfast City Council's physical investment programme. (ref 4))

Financing

Total cost

€2,000,000 - €4,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Other

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
  • Other

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Environmental quality
  • Improved waste management
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved water quality
  • Increased protection against flooding
  • Green space and habitat
  • Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
  • Increased spread of native/heirloom/open-pollinated seed
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Economic impacts

  • Other

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Safety
  • Increased perception of safety
  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Improvement in people’s connection to nature
  • Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
  • Increased appreciation for natural spaces
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

Ref. 1. Connswater Community Greenway. (2012) Source: Source link [Accessed 21 September 2020]
Ref. 2. Simpson, S. (2014). Evaluation Report - Reviewing progress to the end of Construction Phase 1. Source: Source link [Accessed 21 September 2020]
Ref. 3. Belfast telegraph. 2017. Final link of 'amazing' Connswater Community Greenway opens. Source: Source link [Accessed 21 September 2020]
Ref. 4. Belfast City Council. (nd_. Connswater Community Greenway. Accessed: Source link [Website unavailable but document attached]
Ref. 5. Walk NI (2019) CONNSWATER COMMUNITY GREENWAY. Source: Source link [Accessed 21 September 2020]
Ref 6. Arup (n.d.) New infrastructure creates 16km of cycle and walkways and improved flood protection. Source: Source link [Accessed 21 September 2020]
Connswater greenway
https://walkni.com/walks/connswater-community-greenway/
Connswater greenway
https://walkni.com/walks/connswater-community-greenway/