Fresh details unveiled of radical plans to transform Derry city centre and riverfront
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00:00 So, members, you have the paper before you was issued with the agenda for the meeting.
00:05 Just very briefly, just skip through some of the highlights of that.
00:08 Obviously, the purpose of today's meeting is specifically in relation to the Centre
00:13 River on Strand Road and the Wall City, Everington part of City Deal.
00:21 Members know well by now that the heads of terms were signed back in February 2021.
00:28 At that stage, we were looking at a £250 million investment.
00:32 We spent quite a bit of time over the last number of months talking about the challenges
00:36 of staying within budget, which we now have.
00:41 But very positive news in terms of that is we are in discussion with the majority of
00:47 project partners about increasing the budget.
00:51 At this stage, although we can't put a definite figure on it, we've certainly increased the
00:57 budget and we are currently somewhere in the region of £280 to £300 million of investment
01:03 as the OBCs finalise.
01:05 That number will also crystallise.
01:09 So a lot of those budgetary challenges have now been overcome.
01:13 As members know, a number of project OBCs have outlined business cases, that is, have
01:19 already been completed and submitted into government.
01:24 There are a number remaining, one of which we're dealing with today.
01:28 So just very brief recap, the over £100 million Strabane Town Centre regeneration scheme,
01:36 which comprises the new North West Regional College campus, the primary healthcare hub,
01:43 the leisure centre, the new footbridge and the associated public realm works was submitted
01:49 in December following a special council meeting.
01:53 We then had another special council meeting in January and at that special council meeting,
01:59 the almost £40 million investment in the two innovation projects being led by Ulster
02:06 University were presented and they've been submitted.
02:11 Also at that special council meeting, the almost £15 million suite of projects that
02:17 form the smart and digital element of the scheme were presented and submitted.
02:23 As members know, Aideen is here with us today to update on DNA.
02:28 DNA is slightly ahead of the game or considerably ahead of the game and the almost £13 million
02:34 investment in it has recently been approved for funding and we'll just update on that
02:40 project as part of this suite of projects later on.
02:44 So the remaining OBCs to be submitted comprise what we're presenting today and another special
02:52 council meeting has been organised for the end of March and to which we will invite Ulster
02:58 University and the Western Health and Social Care Trust to update on the School of Medicine
03:03 and the personalised medicine innovation project, both of which we hope will be in a position
03:12 to be submitted by the end of March, beginning of April.
03:14 So that will complete the totality of the OBCs for City Day.
03:21 So focusing very specifically then on the Central Riverfront Strand Road and Wall City
03:26 Everington, members, Section 3 sets out the progress and key issues.
03:33 Just to take a wee moment because the important thing I think as we move into the presentation
03:37 where you'll see the detail, the number of benefits that arise from this project are
03:43 very significant.
03:44 The primary objective is to create a vibrant and thriving Central Riverfront and Wall City
03:51 area and including the corresponding area of the Strand Road.
03:58 Another major objective is to ensure that with the university projects and indeed potential
04:05 future university expansion, that that becomes part of the regeneration of the city, that
04:11 the university expands towards the riverfront and the city centre and becomes an integral
04:17 part of the regeneration of the city centre.
04:21 The creation of brand new public spaces through principally a reallocation of road space,
04:28 a reorientation of road space and a redesign of traffic is a key objective.
04:35 And very, very importantly in terms of climate change and the move towards net zero and indeed
04:40 as the city expands is to design the new infrastructural changes so that public transport can become
04:50 completely prioritised and public transport, walking and cycling to ensure that in the
04:55 future as bus provision increases that the road network has been designed in such a way
05:04 that that can facilitate that increase in public transport provision.
05:11 All of this is equally about the citizen and the visitor, making sure that the citizens
05:18 of the city and district and the visitors to the city and district continue to enjoy
05:22 this place in the decades ahead, driving footfall into the city centre, supporting our businesses
05:30 that are here at the moment and supporting the growth of businesses right across the
05:37 various sectors from retail to hospitality to office based economy and very importantly
05:45 the night time economy, ensuring that recent successes in trying to drive forward footfall
05:52 and business in the city centre continues round the clock and that we have a thriving
05:57 night time economy as well as what we see during the day.
06:03 And of huge significance members, there are many, many potential development sites across
06:09 the city centre that are in private sector hands or owned by the public sector and this
06:16 scheme seeks to ensure that those parcels of land become much more attractive propositions
06:21 for investment.
06:23 The key objective of CityDeal is the investment of public sector money to ensure that the
06:29 private sector is catalyzed and that the private sector invests many multiples of what is taken
06:37 forward in terms of public sector.
06:40 So multiple objectives, multiple outcomes of the scheme, Joanne and my colleagues are
06:46 going to speak to it now in some detail, I'm not going to go through, you'll be glad to
06:50 hear the various key points in the paper because they will come out in the presentation.
06:59 Except to say this members, what we're presenting today is a workable vision for the riverfront
07:06 in Wall City.
07:07 It is one that has been worked on now for quite some time with colleagues in DFI, DFC
07:13 and Tourism NI across the various sections of council, liaising with as many of the statutory
07:19 agencies as we can.
07:21 It is achievable, it is doable, it is affordable within the budget.
07:26 It will have the biggest transformational impact that we've seen in many decades along
07:31 the riverfront in Wall City.
07:34 But ultimately members, and this is the key issue in this project, ultimately this is
07:40 a vision, a workable vision at this stage.
07:44 Once we get past financial deal, it will be a vision that will have to be consulted upon
07:50 extensively.
07:52 We will be working with local businesses right across the city centre of the Strand Road,
07:56 Queens Quay and more importantly with the general wider public to ensure that everyone
08:01 is bought into the scheme.
08:03 There is ample opportunity to flex the detail of the scheme and to ensure that what results
08:11 will be a project that the vast majority, if not everybody, can subscribe to.
08:16 So it's a key point today, members, that in any scheme of this nature, it is really important
08:23 to say that it will be developed and co-designed in partnership with local business and users.
08:30 So members, once we pass through today, we'll be seeking endorsement from you of the vision
08:36 to ensure that the OBC can be submitted into the system.
08:41 Like the other projects, section four of this report deals with the next stages and the
08:49 very significant requirement to scale up in terms of resourcing.
08:54 We will be moving to delivery once financial deal is signed.
08:57 And as you know, members, we're targeting financial deal toward the end of the spring,
09:03 early summer and working with colleagues in government to try to make that a reality.
09:08 The $64 million question is when will projects be on the ground?
09:15 And we hope to be in a position once financial deal is signed to be able to map out exactly
09:20 which projects will be on the ground first and the pipeline of projects that will take
09:25 place.
09:26 What I can say with certainty today, members, and Aideen will take this up at the end of
09:29 the meeting, is that the DNA project, which is now fully funded, will be on site toward
09:36 the end of this calendar year and will be the first city deal project in Northern Ireland
09:42 to begin construction.
09:43 And we're exceptionally pleased by that and show real commitment and progress in taking
09:49 forward what is a very complex suite of projects.