A new park in West Belfast will be called Lower Shankill Park after a public vote.
The development, located at an area formerly known as ‘The Bullring’, includes a Muga, play areas for 0-3 year olds and 3-6 year olds, exercise equipment, a self-contained community garden, allotments, toilets and a landscaped area leading to the Peters Hill entrance.
The new park opened to the public on September 29. It was funded by the Department for Communities through its Building Successful Communities programme.
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The site runs between Regent Street, where there is a new entrance, and Peter’s Hill, curling alongside the Westlink, beside Denmark Street.
Three options went to a public vote via the Belfast City Council Your Say webpage between September 20 and November 1 – Lower Shankill Park, Angel Park, and Rock Roots Park.
In 2010/11 the Lower Shankill Youth Project, which operated from Denmark Street Community Centre, worked with a number of young people who were engaging in anti-social behaviour in the area to change behaviours.
The project came to be referred to locally as the ‘Lower Shankill Angels’ and the Housing Executive funded a statue of an angel to acknowledge its achievements. The statue is currently located at Peter’s Hill but will be relocated to the new park.
The Rock Roots Park option came from a suggestion emerging from engagement with children and their parents during summer programmes and after-school programmes.
At Belfast Council’s meeting of its People and Communities Committee this week, councillors received a report confirming the results of the survey on the new park’s name.
From a total of 901 responses Angel Park had 347 in its favour (38.5 percent), Lower Shankill Park had 416 in its favour (46.2 percent) and Rock Roots Park received 138 (15.3 percent).
At the meeting elected members also approved a request to name an area of open space at the junction of Nubia Street and Moltke Street in the Village area in South Belfast to “The Ruby Murray Village Green,” in line with a community request. The playground adjacent will remain known as the Nubia Street Playground.
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