The ten-year target to take down all of the peace walls is both ambitious and yet timely given the recent fifteenth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, according to University of Ulster experts Dr Jonny Byrne and Dr Cathy Gormley-Heenan.
Those tasked with implementing the policy priorities around the removal of peace walls should be interested in the findings of recent research conducted by the University of Ulster in late 2012, say the researchers.
Findings from two surveys (1451 respondents) – one of residents that lived in close proximity to peace walls and another of the wider population provide an insight into the public’s views on the impact of the peace walls in their communities; their attitudes towards any attempts to remove the peace walls; and their assessment of the role of government departments in relation to such a policy intervention.
The headline results indicate that 58% would like to see the peace walls come down now or sometime in the future. That said, only 38% can actually imagine a time when there will no peace walls in their community
Essentially, residents continue to frame the issue of peace walls in four main ways– in terms of their security, their attitudes towards community relations, their sense of health and well-being, and their attitudes toward sculpture and identity. Therefore, several key factors need to be taken into account to progress the issue of peace walls from an agreed policy objective to an implemented policy within the next decade.
The primary challenge for policy makers is reconciling the mixed message of fear and optimism revealed within the survey (whilst 69% maintain that the peace walls are still necessary because of the potential for violence, 58% would still like to see the walls come down at some point).
The academics say:
"In terms of developing specific strategies to underpin the implementation of the policy objective to remove walls within ten years, our research findings suggest six key actions going forward:
1. There is a need to improve the methods of sharing information between the devolved government and local communities, alongside a need to undertake further community consultations with those who reside closest to the peace walls (63% of residents are interested in finding out more about current initiatives);
2. There is a need to promote further engagement between and across communities divided by peace walls (57% want opportunities for two communities to come together to keep people informed);
3. There is a need to address existing security concerns prevalent within local communities(58% worried about the police’s ability to preserve peace and maintain order in the event of the walls coming down);
4. There is a need for greater emphasis at the macro (Stormont) level in terms of ‘encouraging the public imagination’ around what local environment might look like in the absence of peace walls (only38% can imagine a time when there will be no peace walls);
5. There is a responsibility to treat the peace walls as an issue in need of real ‘joined up’ government (64% peace walls should be a big priority for the NI Executive);
6. There is a need for clarity around roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders including local residents, wider civil society and government in the operational design of any peace walls policy (31% believe that the community has overall responsibility for making decisions about peace walls)."
Ends