Revolutionary proposals for Londonderry revealed

THREE new bridges, a fleet of river taxis, cars barred from the city centre, hybrid buses, civic biomas energy powering local schools, a Londonderry pound, a university with 10,000 full-time students: welcome to Londonderry 2020. At least that’s the plan.

Members of the Londonderry Strategy Board have until Friday to submit their comments on local regeneration company ILEX’s first draft Derry-Londonderry Regeneration, which outlines some amazing proposals for the city.

The 95-page report leaked to the Sentinel is a collaboration between ILEX and a broad cross-section of stakeholders overseen by the Strategy Board which is made up of local politicians and notables.

But it is more the outcome of the work of twelve Sectoral Working Groups (SWG) which have been working to identify key priorities and actions to move the city forward and tackle inequality across a range of areas.

The new confidential report - for the eyes of important stakeholders only - points out that the first draft is principally the work of the SWGs which were set up to “bring the experience, expertise and knowledge of stakeholders to bear on the development of the plan.”

Approximately 200 potential interventions have been proposed by the groups which are now to be considered by the Strategy Board - a social partnership made up of 40 leaders drawn from the civic, social and economic spectrum across the city - amongst others.

The groups have been tasked with addressing 12 key themes. These are Education and Skills; Enterprise and Employment; Tourism; Marketing the Derry Opportunity; Transport and Infrastructure; Development of City Region; River Asset; Environment and Conservation; Citizenship and Civic Pride; Health and Well-being; Successful Neighbourhood; Children and Young People and Older People.

In a circular letter to SWG members Strategy Board Co-Chairs, enclosed with the draft report, ILEX Chairman Sir Roy McNulty and Mayor of Londonderry Paul Fleming stated that it reflected “the significant work undertaken to date of the SWGs together with a ‘first cut’ at the integration of SWG ideas and/or proposals which have emerged from the plenary session in early February.”

The letter refers to the provisional nature of the draft and the fact it requires further work but acknowledges “a draft which collates all of the work carried out to date is a useful step towards developing one agreed plan.”

SWG members are asked to recognize the importance of “confidentiality at this stage to allow us to refine the proposals further” but the Sentinel has decided to publish details of the leaked inchoate plans for our city.

Last week the paper reported how if just some of the radical proposals go ahead Londonderry will be totally transformed within a short space of time.

As well as the Foyle, Craigavon and Peace bridges, the river could in future be crossed by a new bus only bridge, a third road bridge linked to an outer orbital road and a new foot bridge between the Daisyfield and Prehen.

There is also a proposal to realign City of Derry Airport in order to remove constraints for airport and rail services and make it possible to link up the two.

Informal and formal points of access for boat-slipping and canoe and dingy use all along the Foyle are also proposed, alongside a pleasure boat for tourists operating between Craigavon Bridge and Culmore.

Another unusual proposal designed to enhance civic pride here is the introduction of a Civic Scheme although the report identities this as a component part of a wider intervention programme.

Other suggestions sure to spark a lot of interest are a proposal for a new all weather sports/athletics stadium; a chain of informal cruiser and yacht moorings on river and Lough to allow easy cruising; and a possible schools boathouse or National Centre of Excellence for Water Sports.

The proposals to expand the Magee university campus to cater for between 8000 and 10,000 full-time students is re-iterated.

And as for Fort George the SWG tasked to deal with the City Region Assets suggests: "There needs to be agreement on how the development of the cluster can be taken forward; however one must do task is to progress decontamination of Fort George to allow any development to continue."

A dedicated "Invest Londonderry" type body is also proposed to promote investment in the region and there are also plans to forge ahead with the city's bids for UNESCO World Heritage Status and the UK City of Culture in 2013.

Added to this are a range of other proposals to develop Londonderry as an “Innovation City,” “a Digital City,” “an Entrepreneurial City” and “A Sustainable City” in order to boost enterprise and employment.

Proposals are also put forward to implement a “Focus on the Future” tourism strategy and to develop Londonderry as a “Sports City.”

To do this the report proposes a comprehensive sport and leisure events strategy; a new all weather sports/athletics stadium; investment in infrastructure at all levels; improved participative structures and partnerships for sports; and the development of a "Sporting and Active City Vision" by promoting positive images to youths.

The city might also be enhanced as a leading heritage destination by the filling of gaps in the local “heritage product” to include early Christian, Plantation, Siege, Industrial, transport, maritime, contemporary/political history and archives.

In addition to the dramatic transport and infrastructure proposals mentioned above it is also suggested footways be widened; linkages crossing the Foyle Expressway to the riverside be made; public hire schemes piloted; buses prioritised at key congestion points; orbital services tried; cross-border services developed; a new bus station developed; the railway station moved to Ebrington; all on-street parking in the Walled City and on the Quays removed; and traffic calming brought in on the riverside.

Schemes for the landmark Fort George and Ebrington sites are well-publcised but the report also calls for the development of the Free Derry Quarter and the Central Core Quarter and the continued development of the Clooney Quarter and the development of the Clondermot Cluster, in particular the Corrody Road site.

Inequalities in health and well-being and mortality rates are also addressed in the report. The draft suggests Londonderry be developed as an “Early Intervention City.”

A range of proposals are in place to address alcoholism, obesity, suicide, self-harm and mental health problems

The Sentinel has today published a flow chart demonstrating most of the proposals contained in the 95-page draft report on the newspaper’s website for the public to read themselves.

ILEX and Derry City Council will now hold further discussions with SWGs, the Strategy Board to further refine the draft.

Integration meetings are scheduled for April 13 and 29 at which SWG representatives will have opportunities to provide further input.