Comprising of a block of seven units and situated within the grounds of Cloona House, this social economy enterprise will provide attractive accommodation for light commercial business tenants.
It will provide much needed incubation workspace for new businesses opportunities as well as creating employment opportunities in the Colin area.
Speaking at the event the Minister paid tribute to all those involved saying: “This purpose built facility is a testimony to the vision and determination of all the people who made this happen, particularly those from the Cloona Group.”
“The new centre will provide jobs and business opportunities for the people of Colin. There are already 12 jobs in the pipeline and more may follow.”
Emphasising the importance of this project in sustaining community based services, the Minister said that she wanted to see more examples of projects that help communities help themselves in the longer term: “In our difficult economic times, we need more social economy projects such as this where the revenue from community owned assets can be ploughed back into local services.”
“At a time when government budgets are under so much pressure this kind of approach is particularly welcome. It demonstrates that groups like Cloona have the resourcefulness and capacity to reduce their reliance on public sector funding and to push ahead under their own steam. They should be congratulated for showing this confidence.”
The Minister also paid tribute to the role of the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) and Lisburn City Council (LCC) in making the project a reality.
Denis Rooney, CBE, Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland said that the project was a wonderful success story, demonstrating how a community could put the foundations in place to ensure a brighter future for everyone in the area.
He said: “I would like to congratulate Cloona Economic Units Limited on the development of this business centre in the Colin area. The group has shown great foresight, vision and commitment in the development of this project. It will enable the community to harness new business potential in the area, act as a catalyst for increased investment and secure the future of the many community outreach programmes and activities offered through Cloona Oasis Centre.
I would also like to thank our donors the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for their continued support without which we could not fund such vital projects.”
Speaking on behalf of Lisburn City Council, Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, Councillor Allan Ewart said: “The council is delighted to have been involved with this innovative local project. The social economy is a key local sector in Lisburn offering a diverse range of services which positively impacts upon local communities. These new units will assist Cloona to sustain their current activities, and will not only create new jobs, but will safeguard existing jobs within the local area.”
I would like to thank the staff at Cloona for their dedication and commitment in seeing this project through to fruition, and I would also like to thank the European Union through the Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity, which match funded the Council monies on a 50:50 basis.
Notes to Editors:
- The total cost of the Cloona Economic Units project is £714,000, with DSD contributing £379,000, the International Fund for Ireland contributing £225,000 and Lisburn City Council contributing £110,000, with 50% of the Council monies match funded through the European Union, Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity.
- Revenue from the Business centre is estimated to be worth £46,000 per annum.
- Media enquiries to DSD Information Office on 028 9082 9078 or 07970 976894. Out of office hours please contact Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715440 and your call will be returned.
