County Derry estate redevelopment project halted as it sits on bonfire site

The redevelopment of a County Derry estate has been halted until an agreement with local bonfire builders has been achieved.

Mid Ulster District Council’s environment committee made the decision at a meeting at the beginning of the month.

Members were asked to grant Council’s Chief Executive, Adrian McCreesh, delegated authority to award capital contracts in August for a number of small settlement projects.

The small redevelopment projects, including one in the Riverside estate in Castledawson, were set to get the go ahead next month.

Other villages due to benefit from the small settlement scheme include Castlecaulfield, Moneymore and Moy.

If it were to be given the green light, The Riverside project would see the creation of a trim trail around the perimeter of the existing pitch, low level lighting, a ‘pocket park’ area, designated natural area with the work to integrate with the current play park leaving a grass space area for locals to enjoy and remedial works to the car park.

However, permission for the project at Riverside was not granted, as it is currently used as a bonfire site.

Council’s deputy chief executive, Anne Marie Campbell, told the committee the project is yet to go out to procurement.

Ms Campbell also said that the committee had been "working very closely with the local community in that area" and are "hopeful they will go down a beacon route, possibly next year but it is work in progress."

Ms Campbell added: “In terms of this project there have been proposals, in terms of modification, that would facilitate a beacon approach as opposed to a bonfire approach on site and that is where the project is at the moment.”

Ms Campbell also strongly advised that the other projects go ahead as the funding for several of the applications is time bound.

“We have deadlines to meet,” she said. “In Pomeroy for example we have to have the arts trail delivered on site by December, so I would caution against stopping that project

“It would put the whole funding package we have for Pomeroy in danger and the other small settlement schemes have a funding deadline of March 2024.”

The committee approved the proposal to grant delegated authority to Council’s chief executive to award contracts in relation to Connecting Pomeroy and other small settlement schemes during August.