Strategic planning for multicommunity rural development: Insights from Northern Ireland

Abstract

This paper examines progress being made in the sphere of community‐led rural development in Northern Ireland. Multicommunity development practice carried out by the authors using a transactive model of strategic planning is reported. This case study is located in the borderlands of Ireland, in an area where contested traditions of culture and political allegiance are deeply rooted. The analysis explores, inter alia, the tensions associated with community group formation, the difficulties in winning consensus and how these problems were addressed, the origin and selection of projects, and the first steps towards implementation. By way of conclusion a number of key issues of arguably wider interest are identified: engaging in strategic planning, supporting multicommunity activity and forging new partnership arrangements.