Trust looks into Asset Transfer
The Building Change Trust, along with The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), chaired a roundtable discussion on Community Asset Transfer in Northern Ireland.
Discussions took place in the Crumlin Road Gaol on Tuesday 29th February, examining the evidence around Community Asset Transfer and Ethical Property development drawing on research supported by the two organisations.
Attendees heard examples of local best practice in asset development and acquisition and also discussed the policy and political context specific to Northern Ireland looking at issues such as the need for legislation, investment and resources.
Brendan Murtagh, author of the JRF report on Community Asset Transfer, presented the key findings of the research and Colin Stutt, Trustee at the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and author of the think piece ‘Ethical Property Investment in NI’, addressed the related issues concerned with the development of an ethical property fund.
As well as taking place at a local landmark, the discussion also took place in cyberspace with an online discussion taking place during the event with the event being live tweeted.
Following the event, interviews with the major speakers and contributors took place, allowing those not present to hear what was said. These interviews are available online and will be open for comment, allowing the discussion around Asset Transfer and Community Ownership to carry on.
Charlie Fisher, Building Change Trust Co-Ordinator, said: “Asset Transfer is a really exciting potential area of growth for the Community and Voluntary Sector in Northern Ireland.
“The Building Change Trust is proud to have supported local organisations like the Ashton Trust and East Belfast Partnership research the establishment of an ethical property trust in NI.
“We hope this will allow communities to take real ownership over their local areas and have more of a say in how there are managed and used.
“The Trust is dedicated to becoming more and more innovative in how we present our findings and work to a wider audience. Hosting a debate online and allowing people to interact with the information in the digital arena is a sign of this dedication.
“We hope to host more events in even more innovative and interesting ways in the future”.
By clicking on the following links, you can view videos of Development Trust NI's Michael Pyner and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's Gordon Hector, discussing the event.
Please click here to view Gordon in conversation with Slugger O'Toole's Mick Fealty.
A full report of the event can be downloaded by clicking here.