A £60 million college and university campus in west Belfast is to be given the go-ahead by the British government in one of the first examples of a "peace dividend" after last week's political agreement at Stormont.
Plans to build the campus on the Springvale site are expected to be confirmed by the Northern Ireland Office later this week. The site is close to the so-called peaceline between nationalist and unionist areas of west Belfast.
A proposal for a university on the site came more than five years ago, and various plans have been put forward. A previous plan for a £100 million University of Ulster campus was rejected. The new college will be jointly run by the University of Ulster, which has a number of campuses around the North, and the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education (BIFHE).
The Sinn Fein president and local MP, Mr Gerry Adams, said the college should be for all the people of the area. "It should benefit the people of the Shankill and the Falls, and hopefully all the people of Belfast."
He said he had spoken to the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, about the Springvale campus last week. "It was clear to me then that this announcement was being delayed so that it could be presented as a good-news story. Which is fair enough because it is good news."
Mr Adams said the campus should be part of an integrated economic package for west Belfast covering job creation, education, housing and the environment. He blamed the previous British government for the delay in developing Springvale, and said Irish-language education should be provided in the new college.
The Progressive Unionist Party spokesman, Mr Billy Hutchinson, who is a community worker in west Belfast and has been involved in the project, said the college could be developed as a neutral ground between the two communities. "It is an ideal spot and will give opportunities for lots of discussions to go on."
The Foundry Regeneration Trust, which has been campaigning for a college on the site, said it was important that the community be involved at all stages. Ms Una Gillespie said the University of Ulster and BIFHE should work with community leaders and local education providers.
The details of the project are expected to be made public on Friday, but an "educational village" model offering a range of courses at different levels is envisaged.