A former bonfire site in South Belfast is to be transformed into a new children's play park.
The Ballarat Street site off Ravenhill Road has become a derelict dumping ground in recent years and the local residents have been hoping to regenerate the area by creating something all of the community can enjoy.
They have said the area has been plagued by anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping and the creation of the new play park and gardening area would be a huge boost to the area.
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Lagan Village Youth and Community Group have been spearheading the project, alongside Belfast City Council and the Department for Communities, and have recently welcomed £25,000 of funding through a grant from the Whitemountain Programme.
It is hoped that the new play park will be opened by Spring next year.
George Newell, of Lagan Village Youth and Community Group said: "It has taken a lot of hard work and commitment to get us to this point and this funding from the Whitemountain Programme has given us a real boost. This site has seen residents tortured by flytipping and anti-social behaviour for many years and we can't wait to be able to turn it into a space for the whole community to enjoy.
"We hope that the work will be complete by Spring 2023 to allow our local gardeners to begin planting up the raised beds."
Richard Rogers of Groundwork Northern Ireland said: "We were really impressed by the group's determination to overcome numerous obstacles and make this project a reality, and were delighted to be offer this support through the Whitemountain Programme. Although the project is modest in scale, we're confident it will help transform both the local environment and the lives of local residents."
Breedon Ireland’s Whitemountain Programme provides funding for community amenity and biodiversity projects within 15 miles of Mullaghglass landfill site through the Landfill Communities Fund. To date over £8.5million has been allocated to almost 250 projects. These range from sports facilities to community halls, and from wildflower meadows to play areas.
Edward Kearney from the Whitemountain Programme said: "The Whitemountain Programme has invested over £8.5 million in community amenity and biodiversity projects since it was established in 2007. The Programme has always been focused on addressing social need and supporting environmental regeneration and we're really pleased to be able to help the community undertake this transformative project.
"With the forthcoming closure of Mullaghglass landfill site there will only be two further rounds of funding, so please check out the fund guidelines and, if your project is eligible, we'd be delighted to receive an application."
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