Guarded welcome for new town plans

EAST Londonderry MLA George Robinson says he is giving a "guarded welcome" to the announcement from Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie regarding regeneration plans for the town centre.

Last week the Minister announced that international consultants would be drafted into the town over the coming months to complete a "masterplan" for Limavady. But the assembly member says completion of the plans does not immediately mean completion of the entire project, which he says may take some time to be put in place.

Ald Robinson said; "I had tabled a question to the Minister on the 20th April and was assured the Minister would write giving greater details to me, which she has. In her letter the Minister has informed me that a regeneration master plan for Limavady town centre has been commissioned and work on this plan is to begin immediately and it is hoped that the masterplan will be finalised by the end of this year."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The MLA says the plans, which will identify the regeneration needs of the town, are not a guarantee of any work being carried out in the near future of areas which have been assessed and pin-pointed for renewal.

Ald Robinson continued: "I must stress however this is NOT a guarantee that action will be taken immediately on the completion of this masterplan. The work on the masterplan is to identify areas which are to be prioritised for the future. These include, and I quote from the Ministers response "an agreed strategy for the town centre development; an assessment of the development potential of vacant and underused sites in the town centre, and suggestions for public realm enhancements to support the regeneration objectives and complement the recommendations for restructuring and redevelopment of various buildings / sites". Any regeneration will also include a number of Stormont departments working together to achieve the desired result. "

The Deputy Mayor said he still welcomed the news which he feels is a step forward in attending to the needs of the town centre.

"It is obvious that the Minister is taking seriously the need for Limavady town centre to be regenerated and is laying the foundations for future work by identifying how this can be achieved. I stress again this is not a guarantee of immediate action, but rather the drawing up of plans for the project. At present budgetary constraints will probably be the overriding factor, but I am pleased that the process is at least beginning, so that when financial times improve there is a basis to move forward. I do however welcome the Ministers commitment to the need for regeneration of Limavady Town Centre".

Related topics: