Old City Hotelcar park plan

A NEW fifty space car park on the site of the old City Hotel is expected to be open within days with a small urban park on the same site due for completion by March next year.

Plans for a major apartment and hotel development on the site fell apart late last year when Big Picture Developments Ltd, withdrew blaming financial challenges, the local apartment market and the speculative nature of the office space, for the decision.

The firm also advised the Department of Social Development (DSD) that Whitbread - the hotel operator secured for the scheme - no longer wished to be involved.

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Asked to outline DSD’s plans for the site Social Development Minister Alex Attwood said he hoped the small urban park now proposed would be ready by next spring. The car park, however, should be open by the end of the month.

Answering an Assembly Question on the fate of the prime city centre plot he advised: “The site, which has been used by FP McCann Ltd as a site compound for the City Centre Public Realm scheme, is currently in the process of being vacated.

“It will now be landscaped to provide a shared space consisting of a small urban park together with 50 car parking spaces to address some of the demand for additional spaces in the city centre.

“The car parking spaces are expected to be in place by the end of October with the landscaping elements completed by 31 March 2011.

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“I am confident the member will acknowledge the major contribution of DSD to the development of the City centre; 8m on public realm schemes in Guildhall Square/Waterloo Place and Newmarket Street and Urban Development Grant assistance of some 850k for the Northern Counties building and Artillery Chambers.

“In addition to this, the Peace Bridge, at a cost of over 13m, is currently being constructed across the River Foyle with match funding being provided from DSD.

“My Department alone put forward bids for further monies for Derry development in the 2011-2015 budget period. In total my Department has made bids of 68m capital from 2011/12 to 2014/15 for the North West area to cover Neighbourhood Renewal (8m), Urban Development Grant and Public Realm schemes (20m), the City of Culture (8m) and implementation of the Regeneration Plan (32m) which includes the regeneration of Fort George.”