UUP Leader appoints Greater Village Regeneration Trust Director to spearhead Party’s policy on Urban Regeneration
UUP Leader Sir Reg Empey today appointed Paula Bradshaw as the Party’s spokesman on Urban regeneration.
Paula is the Director of the Greater Village Regeneration Trust which deals specifically with urban regeneration in the Village area of South Belfast.
In a statement Sir Reg said,
“Urban regeneration is a policy that is not only close to my own heart as an MLA for East Belfast, but of vital importance to the future prosperity, stability and well being of Northern Ireland as a whole. Tackling the massive difficulties faced by our urban areas is a tremendous challenge but not one the UUP is prepared to shy away from. Unlike previous direct rule governments, we will not pay lip service to it or brush it under the carpet.
Paula brings a wealth of experience to the role as an expert and an instigator of meaningful, sustainable and long term positive changes to urban regeneration in the Village area. I have every faith that her experience will be of benefit to other parts of Northern Ireland.
Paula Bradshaw added,
“The need for an urgent sustainable and workable urban regeneration strategy is the unfortunate result of over 30 years of systematic neglect by successive governments. Urban regeneration is not simply about attracting inward investment. It also covers the provision of decent social housing, improving education, tackling health problems and dealing with the overall urban environment.
In my experience there are no quick-fix solutions and it will take time and a great deal of government commitment and resources to begin to turn-around the problem. I intend to use my role to bring urban regeneration policies and initiatives to the attention of our key local decision makers and our media, but above all I want to ensure that the successful on-going work that the Greater Village Regeneration Trust has been engaged in can be tailored and translated to other urban areas across Northern Ireland. I look forward to meeting the challenges ahead of me.”