A LOCAL human rights campaign is offering a £10,000 competition prize for the best social homes concept design for the former Mackie's site in West Belfast.
The Take Back the City Coalition has launched a competition for architects, planners and urban design consultants to submit a concept design with the potential to transform the vacant site.
It comes after the High Court quashed an unlawful Belfast City Council decision to grant planning permission for a community greenway on the land.
Campaigners, who said the Council's decision scuppered potential for social homes, said the site has the potential for 950 gentle density homes in the area of highest social housing need in Belfast.
Design concepts for the 25-acre site will be judged by a panel of local and international experts. Following a period of community engagement, the winner of the £10,000 prize will be announced in October and will have the opportunity to take their design to master-plan stage.
Marissa McMahon of the Take Back the City Coalition said: “Take Back the City is led by families in housing need. We are trail-blazing a community-led process to build a better Belfast. We want to build a sustainable city, without walls, where every child has a home. Our coalition is supported by experts in housing development, technology, communications, permaculture, housing policy, planning, human rights and equality. We are looking for an individual or organisation with the design skills to bring our vision to life.”
The Mackie's site is located on a historical interface, which has separated communities for generations. The Take Back the City coalition has encouraged competition entries which demonstrate innovative solutions to overcome the divisive architecture and politics of Belfast by creating communities which deliver on the principles of equality and human rights enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement.
Submissions can include novel or innovative methods including short films, technical drawings or other formats. The designs will be judged on the six principles of development are a healthy place to live; adapting to the challenges of a changing climate; an inclusive community; co-creation in design; local employment and skills; self-management and autonomy.
Entrants will be invited to the ‘City of the Future’ event at the Innovation Factory on the Mackie's site on 10 and 11 August and all entries will be displayed on the www.takebackthecity.ie web platform, as part of a community engagement process.
The closing date for all submissions will be 30 September with winners announced in October.
To enter, complete the entry form available at https://www.nlb.ie/blog/2022-05-the-city-of-the-future-an-urban-design-competition
