Clondermot pavilion plansand fence plans lodged

The development at the old Clondermott school site at the Irish Street/Top of the Hill interface was billed an opportunity to make an enormous contribution to the regeneration of the Waterside area when the Department of Social Development (DSD) purchased the land for £3.2m in early 2009.

But it emerged in November that elements of an ambitious conceptual master-plan for the site that proposed health, education, community business and local council services had been scrapped because NWRC and WHSCT didn’t have enough money to go ahead.

A new training centre for young people and a local Health Trust facility both had to be scrapped due to pressure on the public finances.

Notwithstanding the blow DSD confirmed in the autumn that it would engage with Derry City Council to jointly develop an interim solution to upgrade the existing pitches and provide new changing facilities on site for public use.

This appears to have taken a step forward with an application for the “siting of pre-fabricated sports changing pavilion installation of 5m height ball stop fence” lodged with the local planning service.

It follows an application lodged last May for a three storey office building for community organisations at the site.

A further application was also lodged for the provision of new road access via Irish Street including car parking and landscaping.

It is expected a new Waterside Development Trust will be completed on the site in January 2012 creating “a high quality site frontage onto the Irish Street entrance and providing purpose built office accommodation for Derry City Council Community Services together with training facilities and Shared Future conference accommodation.

Last November Social Development Minister Alex Attwood announced the death knell on the NWRC and WHSCT plans for the site. He explained how there simply wasn’t enough money available for their contributions to the regeneration scheme.

The Minister advised: “Unfortunately neither the Western Health and Social Care Trust nor the North West Regional College can proceed with their proposals due to a lack of finance.”