Incorporated in 1995, the Greater Shankill Partnership was the first Area Partnership formed in Belfast. Since the introduction of the Government’s Neighbourhood Renewal policy in 2005, GSP has acted not only as a Belfast Area Partnership but also, uniquely, as a Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership. In doing so, GSP facilitates and takes its lead from the Greater Shankill Community Convention, supporting the development and outworking of its decisions. Over the past 10 years the Convention has played the central role in developing the areas Neighbourhood Action Plan (NAP) and its iterations over that period.
In June 2005, the Convention set priority themes and established Task Groups around them to engage in developing a Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plan for Greater Shankill. The process took over two years, actively involved over three hundred people and sought to engage statutory agencies and Government Departments, along with the community.
The themes selected were:
- Education
- Young People and Youth Issues
- Training
- Employability, Jobs & Business
- Health and Wellbeing
- Arts and Culture
- Crime and Community Safety
- Sports and Leisure
- Arterial Routes and Environment