A peace wall in a Co Armagh town blighted by sectarian tension is to be removed after community agreement was reached.
Work to remove the fencing at Water Street in Portadown began in recent days.
The street runs off the majority nationalists Garvaghy Road, which was the focus of bitter parades dispute in the 1990s.
The Drumcree stand-off began in 1995 when nationalists blocked the return route of an Orange Order parade through their district.
In July 1998 three Catholic schoolboys Richard (10), Mark (9) and Jason Quinn (8) were killed when their home was petrol bombed in Ballymoney, Co Antrim in a UVF attack linked to an ongoing protest by loyalists at Drumcree.
The Orange parade was eventually banned from the district that year.
Seven peace walls were built in Portadown between 1998 and 2002 as as community relations in the area collapsed.
Some of those interface barriers are now set to come down as a result of a programme led by the Department of Justice, the ‘Together: building a united community Strategy’.
It worked with the local community and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council to remove the three-metre high structure at Water Street, which had stood for 27 years.
“Removing these physical barriers makes a positive contribution to building a truly shared society in Northern Ireland,” justice minister Naomi Long said.
“Significant collaboration has been going on behind the scenes and I commend the local community for supporting this significant step forward.”
Sinn Féin mayor of the district Sarah Duffy said the removal of the structure is “an important step in the regeneration of this area and we are hopeful for what the future may bring for local residents”.
Parkmount Orange Lodge also welcomed the development adding that it is looks “forward to all sections of our community receiving further redevelopment and much needed investment”.
Drumcree Community Trust said it “welcomes the removal of the Water Street interface and looks forward to the regeneration of the area”.
Obins Street and Park Road Community Association: “We, along with others from within the community have been working tirelessly for some years and are excited, given the proposed redevelopment of Water Street: an area that has been lying derelict for many years.”
