Minister sees benefits of new Innovation Centre in County Antrim
Date published:
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has visited the new Innovation Centre in Cushendall to hear how the facility is benefitting the local area.
The site of the new Centre was acquired by local social enterprise group Grow the Glens in 2022 via the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) process, with Phase 1 of the redevelopment project completed in 2023.
The group has used the investment to create a modern facility that can facilitate education, training and enterprise. This includes remote working/hot desking hubs, a private consultation room for various health practitioners, and meetings rooms for use by councils, local businesses and charity organisations.
Minister Lyons said,
“I am very happy to visit this new Innovation Centre and see how the old disused PSNI station is being used to bring such positive impacts to Cushendall and the surrounding areas. I am pleased that my Department has been able to support some of the costs of refurbishing this property, which was acquired through the Community Asset Transfer process.
“This project is a great example of the benefits of community ownership, where control has been taken of an asset in a community for the benefit of those that live here, creating opportunities in the process. This type of local initiative helps to highlight the unique qualities of rural areas like this and allows for the development of economic activities that benefit the people, landscape and heritage.”
Notes to editors:
- Community Asset Transfer (CAT) is an Executive policy for which DfC is policy lead.
- Grow the Glens was formed in 2016 to focus specifically on the development of employability and employment initiatives in the Glens of Antrim, with the aim of making the Glens a better place to live in, to visit and to do business in
- The Department for Communities invested £300k of capital funding into Phase 1 of this project and Grow the Glens also received £300k of funding from the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund, as well as £50k funding from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
- Phase II, to further extend and develop the Innovation Centre, has been selected by Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council as one of its projects in the £72M Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council Growth Deal.
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