£500,000 DSD Investment for Strabane welcome

£500,000 DSD Investment for Strabane Welcomed

25th Sept 15

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council has welcomed over £500,000 investment from the Department for Social Development, for sport, leisure and local facilities for the Strabane area.

Mayor Cllr Elisha McCallion detailed the series of projects which the DSD investment has enabled including:

A new multi-use recreation area at Fountain Street/Patrician Villas, has had an investment of £272,000. The development includes a 3G synthetic pitch, floodlighting, play area with wooden equipment including sculptures with slides, ramps and tunnels, and a seating area with picnic tables.

The refurbishment of 4 new female changing rooms, treatment and meeting rooms at Strabane Sigersons GAA, with an investment of £216,393.

In addition, the steps leading from Springhill Park to Fountain Street will undergo refurbishment and other planned environmental improvements within local estates in the Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal area, will have a total investment of £63,000. This work has been undertaken by the NI Housing Executive.

Mayor McCallion added: “This is another example of successful partnership working, with Council and the Department for Social Development working closely with local community groups to deliver quality facilities that will help promote healthier lifestyles and improve the quality of life for those living in the Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal Area. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in developing these projects that will enhance and improve the area making it more attractive, functional and accessible.”

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Council Announces Further Commitment to Capital Investment

Council announces further commitment to capital investment

02 September 2015 

A number of key projects and programmes across the Derry City and Strabane District are set to benefit from a significant funding boost as announced at a meeting of the Council’s Governance and Strategic Planning Committee, subject to ratification by Full Council.

The additional investment builds on recent capital spending of over £44m for a range of projects and brings Council’s total capital investment programme to £64.416m, of which 50% has been secured from external sources.

The news is particularly welcome following the considerable cuts to grants and funding streams announced by central government in recent months, which have the potential to seriously impact on regeneration and investment in the area.

Speaking after the announcement Chief Executive of Derry City and Strabane District Council, John Kelpie reaffirmed that Council’s key focus remains on economic, social and environmental regeneration with specific emphasis on an ambitious capital investment programme.

“Today’s announcement brings us a step closer to the realisation of many projects, and we remain committed to securing the additional resources needed to strengthen and transform Derry and Strabane. I would now urge central government to step up and deliver on their commitments to the region.”

“The successful delivery of funding to support these key capital projects and programmes demonstrates our determination to meet our promises and drive the campaign to improve the prospects and quality of life of all our citizens.”

In recent months it’s estimated that the North West region has lost up to £6.2m in funding relating to the rates support grant, the transferring of functions, the disproportionate liability from a number of transferring assets, and the lack of capital funds to go along with DSD functions – all vital in allowing the Council to bring forward capital projects.

Mr Kelpie stressed that while significant amounts of capital investment have been achieved to date, Council will continue to exert pressure on central government to reduce budgetary cuts and commit further investment with a view to promoting sustainable growth within the region.

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Broadband boost for Local Businesses

More than 250 small and medium businesses (SMEs ) across the Derry City and Strabane District Council area have benefited from the Government’s Broadband Connection voucher scheme.
The scheme, which helps SMEs get connected to superfast broadband had a surge in demand in recent months.

Head of Business with Derry City and Strabane District Council, Kevin O’Connor explained how £40m was made available across the UK for the scheme and vouchers were issued on a first come first served basis. Funds were not been ring-fenced for individual cities so all eligible businesses across the Derry and Strabane area were encouraged to apply before the funds were exhausted.

He explained: “The scheme allows businesses to apply for grants of up to £3,000 each to cover the costs of installing faster and better broadband. The scheme has helped a huge variety of businesses to date, including Walled City Brewery, Nuprint Technology, St. Elmos Veterinary Clinic, Claritas Software and Visit Derry.

He said small businesses who choose to sign up to avail of faster connection broadband can benefit from increased security through fast secure backup of data, increased productivity and improved customer service through faster upload and download speeds and growing and accessing new markets through better communication with customers and suppliers.

“This is a fantastic offer for local businesses and we are delighted with the interest shown so far. We will be actively encouraging more local businesses to sign up and not miss out on this fantastic offer,” he added.

Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said:“Our offer to small businesses has been a tremendous success and is proving incredibly popular. More than 40,000 businesses – including more than 257 from Derry~Londonderry, have already taken up our offer which is aimed at boosting both their broadband speeds as well as their bottom line.

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