Council to open car park for Glenn search and write to department over preventative measures at Foyle Bridge

Jack Glenn was a talented young cricketer.

Council officers will look at opening the Derry City and Strabane District Council car park at Queen's Quay to facilitate searches such as that ongoing for the late Jack Glenn after volunteers encountered parking difficulties at the weekend.

The council is also going to write to the Department of Infrastructure (DI) to again look at what potential preventative measures might be taken to deter people in distress from taking their own lives from the Foyle Bridge in Derry.

Council’s Director of Business and Culture, Stephen Gillespie, said he had no issue with opening up the car park to search parties when the issue was raised during chairperson’s business at the Business and Culture Committee on Tuesday.

“I’ll take it back to officers, said Mr. Gillespie.

“Whatever we can do to help we’re happy to do,” he added.

Councillor Brian Tierney proposed the move after receiving reports of some “logistical concerns around parking” relating to the ongoing search to #getjackback.

He reported that “people were travelling from as far as Donegal and were having to carry fuel from the top of the Rock Road” to the Foyle Port marina outside the council offices where they had their moorings, due to the lack of parking.

He said opening the car park would represent “a small gesture of support to the Glenn family and all families in the city and district affected by suicide”.

All parties expressed their condolences with the Glenn family and endorsed Councillor Tierney’s proposal.

They also agreed to write to the Infrastructure Minister to once again look at what potential preventative measures might be taken at the Foyle Bridge.

All agreed that a wider and broader approach to the problem of suicide in the North West was needed.