Neighbourhood Renewal - People and Place
In June 2003, Government launched Neighbourhood Renewal - People and Place. Neighbourhoods in the most deprived 10 per cent of wards across Northern Ireland were identified resulting in 36 areas being targeted for intervention.
Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy evaluations
At the time of publication, a commitment was given to carry out and publish an interim and final evaluation of the Neighbourhood Renewal programme.
In 2010/11, the Evaluation of the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy - Mid-Term Review took place to determine the extent to which the policy was meeting its objectives.
In late 2014, the Evaluation of the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy – Final Review was carried out independently by RSM McClure Watters. It gives an assessment of the delivery model, overall impact and the lessons learned.
Neighbourhood Renewal - People and Place engagement events
The Department’s Community Empowerment Division organised and facilitated a round of People & Place stakeholder engagement events between October and December 2018 across Northern Ireland. The events were well received with around 200 representatives attending the 6 events. It was an opportunity for delivery partners and key stakeholders to take stock, recognise successes and challenges, consider new evidence to inform the way forward, reshape the Strategy and refocus funding.
Overall, the feedback from the engagement events substantiates the findings of the 2014 People and Place Evaluation.
People and Place review
In February 2020, Minister Hargey publically committed to a comprehensive and strategic review of the current People and Place Strategy to improve how the Department addresses the objective need of a place-based approach to tackling deprivation.
There is recognition that the strategic context within which Neighbourhood Renewal operates has changed since its inception in 2003. Many other Departments now operate place-based approaches to tackling issues; the changing economic and societal landscape as a result of the COVID pandemic; and the development of the Executive’s emerging Anti-poverty Strategy are now key factors in the operating environment.
It is therefore an opportune time to strategically review the approach to place-based deprivation within this new operating context.
A People and Place review has now been initiated and we have begun by, and will continue to, actively engage and bring together people from a wide range of sectors, to draw together their collective experiences to help design a strategy and its implementation action plan which will deliver for those communities and people most in need.
Contact
If you have any queries please contact Neighbourhood Renewal Unit.