Ice rink planned for £50m Drumahoe scheme

The proposed multi-million pounds development incorporates an ice rink, cinema, bowling alley, soccer dome, restaurants, retail units and a health care facility. Some of the plans were first mooted last year but have now moved one step closer with the preparation of an environmental statement.

Architect John Smylie of WDR and RT Taggart told the Sentinel the massive scheme will see somewhere in the region of 50million invested in Drumahoe and when completed will sustain between 300 and 400 full-time and part-time jobs.

And the Sentinel understands that residents of the village are thrilled with the plans for the former Desmond's factory site that has fallen into disuse over recent years.

The Drumahoe Community Association - who have been liaising closely with developer David Gilmour on the proposals - hope to obtain copies of the full planning application and environment statement for the "major mixed use regeneration development to include recreation, retail and health care facilities" this week.

And having assessed these the Association plans to hold a public exhibition within the next two weeks to gauge support for the plans in the village.

Speaking to the Sentinel yesterday leading architect Mr Smylie said the exciting proposals will include a food store, a petrol filling station, two retail units, an ice rink, a multi-screen cinema, three or four restaurants, a soccer dome with eight indoor pitches, a ten pin bowling alley and a health care facility. Overall parking at the mixed use development will be cater for 1,350 vehicles.

"The site of the development has become an eyesore," said Mr Smylie. "We are delighted to be involved in this huge scheme that will bring up to 300 or 400 full-time jobs to the area when it is completed."

Mr Smylie said he was confident the environmental statement will assuage any concerns the planners might have surrounding traffic access to the site - an issue of concern to local residents when details of the development first emerged.

"We have a team of consultants addressing the areas that need to be addressed," said Mr Smylie. "WS Atkins, for instance, a huge firm in terms of traffic assessments - have been working on the traffic issues."

According to Mr Smylie developer David Gilmour is also very keen to get on with the development. Mr Gilmour is responsible for a number of other major mixed use developments in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Pending approval from the planners the preparation of tenders and the appointment of contractors for Drumahoe will take approximately six to nine months after which work on the exciting regeneration scheme can begin.

Andrew Russell of the Drumahoe Community Association says the transformative plans have the broad support of the people of the village and he hopes to obtain a copy of the full planning application and environmental statement between today and the end of the week.

"Within the next two or three weeks we hope to decipher what's in the documents and then hold another exhibition based on them," he said.

"People had concerns about one or two issues like traffic access but hopefully these have been addressed."

Hilary McClintock of the Waterside Area Partnership commented:

"This is a really positive development not just for Drumahoe but the whole of the Waterside. The idea of having these leisure facilities for the Waterside is very exciting. It's a huge development."