What we learned
The five main areas of concern for the local community were :
- 1. The degeneration of the main road
- 2. The lack of a clear focal point or village square
- 3. The enhancement of the shops area
- 4. The promotion of historic sites and the enhancement of facilities for young people and adults in the area
- 5. The development of the river and the river-front
The process highlighted the successful work already done in the area and the need for further development. The artist coming from Northern Ireland but outside the Northwest area brought a lot of advantages, the underlying knowledge of potentially sensitive topics gave artist Helen McAleer an advantage while the distance of coming from Belfast gave her a neutrality that allowed a more candid response from participants.
