DEA councillors to discuss ideas for County Derry park development

Councillors elected to the Limavady electoral district are to meet to discuss the development of a local amenity site in the town.

Roe Mill Playing Fields is currently home to the newly-built accessible park, with further plans to construct a dog run also underway for the area.

At last week's meeting of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council's Leisure and Development Committee, Cllr Brenda Chivers suggested a coherent plan was needed to develop the area.

“We have a great facility down there and we want things to complement that,” she said.

“There have been good ideas through Council lately but there are community groups and different organisations who would also like to be based down there.

“We had also talked about a community tea and coffee station, but that has gone because we've kind of jumped the gun on that one.

“It would save ratepayers money and time if we sat down and had a plan of what can be put there that would benefit everybody.

“Rather than going ad hoc, if we could have a plan and then, when funding becomes available, we can proceed.”

A Council official suggested that, as a starting point, the local councillors for the Limavady DEA get together to discuss potential plans for the area.

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Cllr Aaron Callan supported the idea, and said the site had huge potential.

“We have made a huge investment in the Roe Mill Playing Fields area and we had explored the potential for further development in the area, and protecting it from anti-social behaviour,” he said.

“With a lot of these projects we put in a play park or develop a certain area and then it's forgotten about, and I do think there is a lot of potential to that area.

“Since the security fence has been put in, anti-social behaviour has declined on the site and there is an appetite there from other groups who are keen to engage on the site.

“There is definitely work to be done on developing what the future of the site could look like, because I do think there is huge potential.

“It could be we have a wishlist and have to wait on funding coming forward, but we need to develop a plan for the area,” he added.

Cllr Chivers accepted councillors meeting as a starting point, but insisted she would like the community to be consulted as well.

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