Junction and Holywell Trust to be bull-dozed and rebuilt

THE current home of Londonderry peace-building initiatives - The Holywell Trust and The Junction - is to be tumbled and a new three storey building with a roof top garden erected in its place in time for City of Culture 2013.

Plans for the £3.5m city centre investment have been in gestation since 2005 but have now progessed with the lodgement of an application for permission to build with the local planning office.

The new modern premises will house 11 local community organisations under the Walled City Community Partnership banner. The collective is committed to working towards the social regeneration of the city centre within the walls.

Director of the Holywell Trust Eamon Deane said he was delighted the project had finally moved to the concrete planning stage and that he hoped it would speedily come to fruition.

Provided approval is granted the current office accommodation of The Junction at 8-10 Bishop Street will be fully demolished whilst the Inner City Trust building next door will be partially tumbled.

A new 3 storey office block, associated service space, basement and roof top garden will take its place.

“Eleven groups have come together and through a grant from the Department of Social Development (DSD) we have purchased the two premises with Holywell Trust as the lead partner,” Mr Deane told the Sentinel.

Whilst DSD provided the money to buy the premises the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) will fund the build. The total investment is estimated at around £3.5m.

The 11 organisations to be housed in the new block will be the Community Development Learning Initiative (CDLI), Derry Healthy Cities, Holywell Trust, Holywell Consultancy, Towards Understanding and Healing, The Junction, North West Community Network, Extern, Peace and Reconciliation Group, Reach Across and Yes! Publications.

“It’ll provide us with brand new accommodation allowing us to come together to share resources and ideas,” said Mr Deane.

“We hope it will be completed by October 2012 in time for City of Culture,” he added.

The partnership is supported by Derry City Council, Ilex Regeneration Company, The Honourable The Irish Society, The Community Foundation for NI and other significant organisations, as well as several Foyle MLAs.