Report on Springvale Educational Village Project : Together with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee Relating to the Report and the Minutes of Evidence Second Report Session 2007/2008

The Springvale Educational Village project was aimed at addressing the particular educational, cultural and social needs of West and North Belfast, as well as Northern Ireland in general.

With a strong cross community dimension, it also aimed to promote regeneration in an area marked by significant economic and social deprivation and educational underachievement.

The project promoters were the University of Ulster (the University) and the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education (the Institute) - now known as the Belfast Metropolitan College, with the Department for Employment and Learning (the Department) being the main funder.The project was to have three components, costing a total of GBP 71 million: main campus - to be shared between 1,500 further and 1,500 higher education students (GBP 59 million); applied research centre - to stimulate inward investment and develop local companies in start-up units (GBP 8 million); and, community outreach centre - a hub for community and outreach programmes and a training facility (GBP 4 million).

Only the Community Outreach Centre (some 6 per cent by value of the overall project) was delivered. The Committee concludes that this was a project stamped with failure: failure to deliver; failure in the Department; failure in the University; and, failure to respond to the needs of the local communities and properly acknowledge the huge voluntary commitment made by them.

The report makes detailed comments on the handling of the project.