£20m for Brandywell and NW parks

The new investment will bring Council’s total capital investment programme to £64.416m, of which 50 per cent has been secured from external sources.

The recommendations were brought before the Governance and Strategic Planning Committee, by the Capital Projects and Corporate Programme Planning Group which was established to monitor all capital projects as part of the new council governance arrangements.

Building on recent investment of over £44m in a range of projects including the Foyle Arena, the regeneration of Brooke Park, the ongoing development of the Waterside Greenway, Melvin Outdoor Play Area, Strabane Pedestrian Bridge and Sperrins Heritage Centre, the new Council - subject to confirmation of external funding - has allocated funding to enable the delivery of a further £20m of signature projects. These further commitments include the redevelopment of the Brandywell Stadium, the Melvin 3G pitch, and the delivery of a number of new community play parks across Derry and Strabane.

Chief Executive, John Kelpie, said: “I am delighted to confirm this investment which reaffirms Council’s commitment to the regeneration and development of the district. It’s particularly significant in the face of the budgetary cuts which have threatened to compromise the valuable work that has already gone into community projects, local service delivery and the economic revival of the region.

“Council’s key focus remains on economic, social and environmental regeneration with specific emphasis on an ambitious capital investment programme.”