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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| River plan in £23m lottery boost | River plan in £23m lottery boost |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| An ambitious project to create a park along the course of a river in east Belfast has been awarded £23.5m in lottery funding. | An ambitious project to create a park along the course of a river in east Belfast has been awarded £23.5m in lottery funding. |
| The Connswater Community Greenway is getting the money from the lottery's Living Landmarks Fund. | The Connswater Community Greenway is getting the money from the lottery's Living Landmarks Fund. |
| It will be used to create a parkway following the river and other waterways through east Belfast, connecting green spaces along the way. | It will be used to create a parkway following the river and other waterways through east Belfast, connecting green spaces along the way. |
| More than 40 bridges and 19kms of cycle and walkways are to be constructed. | More than 40 bridges and 19kms of cycle and walkways are to be constructed. |
| The park will follow the course of the Connswater, Knock and Loop rivers, connecting people and places from the Castlereagh Hills to Belfast Lough. | The park will follow the course of the Connswater, Knock and Loop rivers, connecting people and places from the Castlereagh Hills to Belfast Lough. |
| The project team said it would benefit the 40,835 people living in the area. | The project team said it would benefit the 40,835 people living in the area. |
| Sammy Douglas from the Greater East Belfast Partnership said it would "turn the rivers and open spaces into community assets and provide a living landmark for our children". | Sammy Douglas from the Greater East Belfast Partnership said it would "turn the rivers and open spaces into community assets and provide a living landmark for our children". |
| Breidge Gadd of the Big Lottery Fund in Northern Ireland said she was looking forward to seeing the project "come to life". | Breidge Gadd of the Big Lottery Fund in Northern Ireland said she was looking forward to seeing the project "come to life". |
| Finance Minister and East Belfast MP Peter Robinson said: "The Big Lottery Fund has awarded over £374m to more than 7,000 projects in Northern Ireland. | |
| "This brings about real improvements to communities and the lives of those most in need." | |
| Ulster Unionist Party leader Sir Reg Empey said: "We can do much better than the stinking mess that the Connswater River currently is. | |
| "At present it is full of junk, shopping trolleys and in the summer it stinks to high heaven and I have long been advocating a Laganside style development along the banks of the Connswater." | |
| Alliance East Belfast assembly member Naomi Long said: "It's great news that the Connswater Greenway project has hit the lottery funding jackpot. | |
| "This is an excellent scheme which will breathe new life into many parts of East Belfast." |