People Power Alive And Well In West Belfast
The community activists of the Stop The Sell Off Campaign have achieved a first step victory in their attempt to reclaim the Andersonstown Barracks site in west Belfast from private developers and restore it to community control.
The SSOC developed out of an immediate community reaction to the news in July of this year that the former British army/RUC barracks would be sold off in a deal which would see absolutely no benefit accrue to the local community.
Margaret Ritchie of the Department of Social Development and the SDLP had given ‘preferred developer status’ to the Carvill Group to build multi-million pound, private properties, which would see no regenerative investment in an area which has been plagued by social and economic depravation for decades.
The activity and steadfast activism of local residents in the face of powerful politicians and developers has successfully stemmed the tide of privatisation in west Belfast and has proven an excellent example of the power of a risen people.
The decision to sell off the site provoked immediate disgust from the local residents who, having not been able to access the site for many decades, were only recently able to walk on this part of Irish soil again.
The site had been off limits to the local population until 2005 because of continued British army and RUC /PSNI occupation of the territory, on which they built one of their most notorious heavily-fortified barracks to facilitate the murder, harassment and detainment of the surrounding citizens.
The community reaction to the land being taken from them again, this time by self-benefiting property developers, was to organise and resist.
A series of campaign initiatives developed, involving site festivals, lobbying, petitioning, protests and well-attended and emotive public meetings where the slogan of ‘public land for public use’ quickly caught on and became the bottom line for local residents. Spearheaded by local community activists, the campaign quickly developed and brought serious pressure to bear on the DSD and the Carvill Group, which has now been forced to withdraw its plans for private development.
Brian Kelly, local resident and chairperson of the SSOC, speaking about the recent ‘Reclaim Our Site’ festival said,
“More than 400 local children and adults came along to enjoy the craic and support the Campaign. More than 200 of those attending completed surveys about what they would like done with the site, and a number of things are clear from the results: residents were almost unanimously in favour of public ownership of the site, and the three most popular preferences for future use of the site were a youth centre, a senior citizens’ centre, and an arts and culture centre.
“We look forward to a full, inclusive and binding consultation that will put control over the future of the site back into the hands of the public, where it has belonged all along.”
Brian went on to say: “The SSOC has been conscious all along that while this was a particularly obscene decision, the trend toward privatisation of our public land and facilities affects people far beyond West Belfast, across all communities. We consider Carvill’s decision to back away from the site an important example of ‘people power,’ and hope our example can help others trying to fend off privatisation and rampant development in Belfast and beyond.”
Éirígí spokesperson Daithí Mac an Mháistír praised the determination and commitment of the local residents.
“It is both inspiring and humbling to see the residents of this small Belfast neighbourhood stand up to and fend off big business and politicians who would take from them what is rightfully theirs.
“This is an example of how a people organised and determined can pursue and achieve anything they wish and we in Éirígí will take inspiration from these events.”
Daithí concluded: “We wish the SSOC and the residents of the Glen Road and Andersonstown area the very best in their continuing campaign to restore the land to the people of the area and to ensure that it is used in the best interests of the local community. Hopefully, that will go some way towards healing the wounds inflicted by the RUC/PSNI and the British army when they previously occupied the site. Beir Bua.”