PEACEPLUS Partnership holds inaugural meeting in Antrim

Early indications are that the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council allocation of funding as part of the European Union’s new PEACEPLUS Programme will be in the region of €5.1m.

The €1.1bn programme - managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) - is designed to support peace and prosperity and leave a lasting and tangible legacy across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

The Council has established the Antrim and Newtownabbey PEACEPLUS Partnership, who will play in integral role in the development of a co-designed overarching Local Area Action Plan (LAAP), and oversee the subsequent delivery of identified projects and initiatives.

The Partnership consists of 23 members made up of 12 Elected Members, representatives from four statutory partners: PSNI; NIHE; NHSCT; Education Authority and seven social partners appointed through a competitive process, representatives of various target groups and geographical areas.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Alderman Stephen Ross said:

“PEACEPLUS will build upon the success of the work carried out by the previous PEACE and INTERREG programmes, contributing positively to all of the citizens in our Borough for generations to come.”

PEACEPLUS comprises six key themes, which encompass over 20 individual investment areas. The programme is due to be launched in the next few months. An overview can be found on the SEUPB website - https://seupb.eu/PEACEPLUS