April 2025: Looking back on the Derry defining stories of the year

April began with the good news that direct flights between Derry and Heathrow would continue to be subsidised for two more years.

Stormont Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald made the announcement of £4.626 million of funding from her department and Westminster’s Department for Transport.

It would ensure the continuation of flights between City of Derry Airport (CoDA) and Heathrow until March 31, 2027, which are operated by the airline Loganair.

In addition, EasyJet confirmed a new Birmingham route from Derry.

On land, as opposed to in the air, Build Homes NI, a group representing some of the North’s largest house builders, said Derry’s housing crisis would continue due to chronic under-investment in the city’s sewerage system.

Water concerns 

Housebuilding in Derry and Strabane District Council and across the North has fallen to historically low levels because of a lack of capacity in wastewater infrastructure.

The group was responding to a consultation published by the Department for Infrastructure into its Living With Water programme. The programme outlines a long-term approach to wastewater management, but it doesn’t include estimated costs or timescales for delivery.

Student accomodation 

The issue of accommodation for students attending Ulster University, Magee, was raised as Derry City and Strabane District Council agreed to write to the Economy Minister asking all future budgets for the expansion of Magee be ringfenced.

Members of the Magee Taskforce updated local councillors on the expansion of the Ulster University at a special meeting of the council on Monday afternoon.

The Magee Taskforce was set up by former Economy Minister Conor Murphy in March 2024 to develop an action plan to expand the Derry campus. It is made up of members from the community and voluntary sectors and from government and local government.

The taskforces' report, which was published in December, said boosting student numbers in Derry from 6,000 to 10,000 by 2032 would help create more than 4,600 jobs, with more than half of those in the north west.

The 10,000 student target was included in Stormont's programme for government and in the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) deal, which restored Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive in 2020.

Ursula Clifford with the new trophy in memory of Fr Kevin Mullan.

Constitutional change

In April, Derry City and Strabane District Council also published a detailed independent analysis of the engagement that was carried out in 2023 relating to the issue of constitutional change and its implications for the council area and the North West.

The engagement was carried out following a notice of motion agreed by council and members of the public, and other stakeholders were invited to inform themselves on the issue of constitutional change and give their views, experiences and research relating to Constitutional Change and the implications for the Derry and Strabane Council area.

The engagement process was carried out over a four-month period and the results of the findings have been collated and independently analysed by Professor Mark Slevin of Ulster University, and are now available for the public to read via the Council website.

A total of 242 responses were received as part of the public consultation exercise that were subsequently screened and categorised into subthemes with commentary used as supporting evidence to capture the diverse perspectives and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the overall exercise. The outcome of the analysis highlighted that while there is a wide range of perspectives on constitutional change, the majority of views expressed in the survey were positive.

Professor Slevin in his report said: “While most participants supported reunification as a means to promote equality, economic growth, and governance reform, others expressed concerns about economic stability, identity preservation and political instability.

Professor Slevin said the findings emphasised the need for careful planning, inclusive dialogue and a transparent process such as a Citizens Assembly, to accurately address the aspirations and fears of everyone.

He said participants in the engagement exercise stressed the need for lessons to be learned from the Brexit process and for all voices and views to be heard.

The ‘People Make Creggan’ exhibition was launched by Féile Derry.

Northlands
In spite of the atrocious April weather, the ‘Defend Northlands’ rally in Derry’s Waterloo Place attracted a sizable crowd.

The event, organised by former Derry City and Strabane District councillor Emmet Doyle (Aontú) took place on Saturday afternoon, to protest the Department of Health’s withdrawal of annual core funding from the city’s Northland’s Addiction Treatment Centre.

Addressing the crowd, Mr Doyle accused “faceless bureaucrats” of saying Northlands was not important.

The Vice Lord Lieutenant Alan Moore, OBE, presenting the King's Award for Voluntary Service and badges to volunteers and directors at an awards ceremony in the Guildhall in April.

“I saw a press release from the Health Minister, who was giving this money out, and he said it was ‘inappropriate’ for him to go back and ask for money for Northlands,” he said. “I have been working in the public sector for 14 years and if there is money to send people to America for St Patrick’s Day, there is money for Northlands. We are not talking about millions and millions of pounds.

“What they took from Northlands was less than £70,000 but, it has put them under such pressure they are going to have to take now money that they have saved up for a rainy day and use it to pay the staff and keep the doors open.”