A PEACE wall which has stood in Co. Armagh for 27 years has now been removed.
The three metres tall wall, officially called a “legacy interface structure”, was located in Water Street, Portadown.
It was removed this week by Northern Ireland’s Department of Justice, under the ‘Together: building a united community’ (T:buc) Strategy, and with the support of the local community and Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council.
“Removing these physical barriers makes a positive contribution to building a truly shared society in Northern Ireland,” Justice Minister Naomi Long said.
The peace wall in Water Street, Portadown has been removed“Significant collaboration has been going on behind the scenes and I commend the local community for supporting this significant step forward.”
Local community and residents’ groups have been involved in the process to have the wall removed.
The Drumcree Community Trust said it “welcomes the removal of the Water Street interface and looks forward to the regeneration of the area”, with the developer who owns the land now planning to redevelop it.
Obins Street and Park Road Community Association have also welcomed the removal.
“We, along with others from within the community have been working tirelessly for some years and are excited, given the proposed redevelopment of Water Street: an area that has been lying derelict for many years,” they said.
The Parkmount Orange Lodge said they “welcome the redevelopment of the Water Street area and look forward to all sections of our community receiving further redevelopment and much needed investment”, while Sinn Féin councillor Paul Duffy said the removal was “part of an ongoing process about other peace walls in the town” before adding that “this is the first stage and I hope it continues”.
Councillor Sarah Duffy, who is the Lord Mayor for the Borough of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, said the removal was an “important step” for the area.
“The removal of this interface barrier at Water Street is the culmination of extensive work and community consultation and Council would like to pay tribute to all community representatives who gave of their time so freely and tirelessly,” she said.
“This is also an important step in the regeneration of this area and we are hopeful for what the future may bring for local residents.”
More than 20 miles of peace walls remain in Northern Ireland, with the majority located in Belfast.
Built to divide predominantly unionist and nationalist areas in the North during the Troubles, some of the oldest date back to the 1960s.
When justice functions were devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2010 there were 59 recognised walls.
Responsibility for those was transferred from the British Government’s Northern Ireland Office to Northern Ireland’s Department of Justice.
Since then a third of the walls have been removed, a third have been reduced and a third remain a ‘work in progress’, the department confirmed.
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