GAA clubs leased Ballyarnett land by Derry City and Strabane District Council

Derry GAA clubs Na Magha and Steelstown have been leased land in Ballyarnett Country Park by Derry City and Strabane District Council. 

In a statement to Derry Now, a spokesperson for Council said that elected members attending a Full Council meeting today (October 25) "agreed unanimously to approve a proposal to lease additional lands at Ballyarnett Country Park to Na Magha and Steelstown".

The spokesperson added: "It was outlined at the meeting how there had been ongoing talks since 2017 between Council and the GAA in relation to the use of Council facilities and a request for Council to provide land to allow local clubs, including Na Magha and Steelstown, to develop training facilities.

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"Subsequently papers were presented to the Council’s Health and Community Committee to take forward the further leasing requirements and a final paper brought to members of the committee earlier this month was deferred to allow further discussion at Full Council today.

"Members attending today’s meeting, when approving the recommendation acknowledged the difficulties around the decision and strongly advocated that Council works with all interested parties going forward to ensure the proposals of all groups can be accommodated."

 The decision has come in spite of an appeal earlier today from the arts director of the Greater Shantallow Community Arts organisation Ollie Green, for the decision to be deferred. 

A paper on the selling of the Council owned public lands at Ballyarnett Country Park to a private trust came before full Council on Wednesday afternoon (October 25) and councillors voted to sell the land.

Proposed Regional Arts Centre at Ballyarnett Country Park.

There are fears a proposed major regional arts centre in the Ballyarnett area of the city could now be jeopardised by the decision.

Speaking to Derry Now following today's decision, Mr Green said: "If, as we have been led to believe, local councillor Brian Tierney (SDLP) proposed that the land at Ballyarnett Country Park be sold out from under us, we are in a state of shock.

"For the last year or more, Council and ourselves have been working on a project to develop a major new regional arts centre in this area, potentially bringing hundreds of jobs into our local community and providing a massive, much needed boost for our community. I just don't understand this decision given the amount of work we have done with local councillors and others. 

"We are also shocked, obviously, that any local councillor, including someone who only a number of short weeks ago sat in a Ballyarnett Growth Partnership Forum meeting and along with party colleagues and unanimously endorsed our proposal for a new regional arts centre in Ballyarnett Country Park, could make such a proposal.

"To find out today that potentially that land has been sold out of public use into private ownership is something we are very shocked and devastated to hear."