Ambitious plans to develop Belfast's historic Crumlin Road Jail and regenerate one of the most deprived areas of the city will be announced today.
Social Development Minister David Hanson will visit the iconic Victorian prison and outline details of the project.
The team behind the 30-acre development, which will also include the recently closed Girdwood Barracks, hope it will transform north Belfast and form a modern gateway to the city centre.
It hoped the project will bring together both communities in an area which has seen more Troubles-related deaths and injuries than any other part of the North.
Among the parties who have already expressed an interest in the sites are the Mater Hospital and St Malachy's College, both within yards of the jail; the Public Records Office; the Bryson House charitable organisation; and the de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking.
The development is also likely to feature new housing and include provisions for tourism and education programmes centred on the prison.
A senior Government official said: "In terms of the regeneration potential, it would be regarded as a very significant site, given its size, location and historical significance. It will be a multi-use shared space which will benefit the whole community, not just one side or the other."
During a tour of the jail, which closed in 1961, the minister is expected to say the development will be of international importance and will benefit the area and the city as a whole.
Mr Hanson will confirm locals will be fully involved in a consultation period that is expected to take a year to 18 months.
The Advisory Panel will be chaired by urban planning expert Roy Adams, an executive director with Laing O'Rourke. The entire project, which is expected to take three to five years to complete, will be overseen by the North Belfast Community Action Unit of the Department of Social Development.
PA