The Craft-Kit will bring together key government officials and community stakeholders in a comprehensive 9-month exercise. Local representatives from BUILD working group, alongside officials from Department for Communities, will lead this ambitious project to create a framework and action plan for the area's future. It also involves input from Belfast City Council and other statutory agencies like the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

The Living High Streets Craft-Kit is an innovative approach co-designed by the Ministerial Advisory Group for Architecture and the Built Environment. This approach has already proven effective in Downpatrick, where it was first implemented in Northern Ireland. In the Greater Shankill, the focus will be twofold: reinvigorating the historic Shankill Road while simultaneously promoting physical renewal throughout the Greater Shankill's residential communities.

The project emphasises genuine community involvement, with plans for extensive public engagement through various channels. Residents will have multiple opportunities to share their views and shape the area's future through community-wide surveys, structured engagement workshops and focused discussion groups with key stakeholders, including young people, local women's groups, traders and local businesses.

To ensure the project stays on track and meets its objectives, a Local Action Group (LAG) has been established. QCAP Deputy Director Dr Andrew Grounds chairs the group and brings valuable continuity to the project having supported BUILD's activities through a community academic partnership since 2022. The LAG will oversee the engagement activities and ensure the project adheres to its original terms of reference.

This initiative represents a significant step forward for the community-focussed work of the BUILD project and brings together local expertise, government and academic support, and professional planning guidance to create a sustainable vision for physical renewal across the Greater Shankill area.