Tuesday 21 August 2007

Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project reaches final submission stage of the UN World Habitat Awards 2007

Galway City Council's entry of 'The Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project' in the World Habitat Awards 2006/2007 reached the final submission stage of the awards.

A citation honouring the project reaching the final submission stage of the Awards will be granted to the City Council shortly. Pictures of the Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project will also feature in the Building and Social Housing Foundation calendar for 2008.

The Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project was selected among 12 projects in the world which competed for the United Nations Habitat Award 2006/2007. This is the first occasion that an Irish project has been deemed worthy of inclusion in this selection.

The Project has already won (for Galway City Council) the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland Award for Excellence in Community Development and also the Taoiseach's Award for Excellence in Local Government this year.

The Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project is the result of a public private partnership to provide a neighbourhood centre in an area of social disadvantage. It consists of enterprise units, a credit union outlet, retail outlets, a library, medical centre, Garda room and residential units.

World Habitat Awards
The World Habitat Awards were established in 1985 by the Building and Social Housing Foundation, as part of its contribution to the United Nations International Year of Shelter for the Homeless.

Two awards are given annually to projects from the global north as well as the south that provide practical and innovative solutions to current housing needs and problems. Every year an award of £10,000 is presented to each of the two winners at the annual United Nations global celebration of World Habitat Day. Travel and accommodation costs are also met for one representative of each winning project to attend the awards ceremony.

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