Two kilometres of footpath running along the Westlink is to be upgraded as part of the Forth Meadow Community Greenway project.
Elected members at Belfast City Council ’s most recent Planning Committee approved the enhancement of a stretch of footpath that runs alongside the A12 Westlink from Donegall Road and Broadway to Grosvenor Road. The work involves the erection of new information panels and the placement of waymarkers on the ground.
The greenway is funded by the EU’s PEACE IV Programme, and is intended to be a physical representation of the peace process in Belfast and to promote reconciliation between interface communities. The £5 million project will see the creation of a 12km route from Clarendon Playing Fields in the North of the City, through the West to the new Transport Hub in the city centre. £3.2 million has been spent so far.
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The footpath upgrade is the final stage of the project, and will connect the city centre with the greenway. The Stormont Department for Infrastructure Roads and Historic Environment Divisions were consulted in relation to the proposal and offered no objections.
The council report states: “The proposal includes the addition of two types of waymarker located at different locations along the site. The waymarker will be in two sizes, one metre and 0.5 metres. The proposal also includes information panels at 2.4metres in height, information panels with finger boards, at approximately three metres in height, and finger posts.”
It adds: “The proposed development accords with core planning principles, in that the upgrade works will contribute to improved health and wellbeing, creation and enhancement of shared space and supporting good design/positive place making. There is not considered to be any detrimental impact on the character or appearance of the site or surrounding area as a result of the proposal.
“The proposed development results in enhanced access from the city centre to Forth Meadow Community Greenway and provides information to users of the footpaths.”
Last September the Planning Committee approved a giant new art sculpture on Springfield Road on a roundabout beside the Innovation Factory, at an entrance to the greenway. The seven metre high sculpture, by artist Sara Cunningham-Bell, is called “Carry Each Other,” and is designed to allow people of all abilities to pass between its legs.
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