Turley “plans ahead” with City of Derry~Londonderry North West office.

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Turley “plans ahead” with City of Derry~North West office and new appointments: Planning consultants Turley have announced plans to open a second regional office to serve the City of Derry and North West, and the creation of three new jobs in Northern Ireland.

Left to right: Michael Gordon, Brian Kelly, John Davison of Turley

Left to right: Michael Gordon, Brian Kelly, John Davison of Turley


The national planning and design consultancy currently has offices in 12 locations across the UK, including an office in Belfast led by Office Director, Michael Gordon.

The new City of Derry~North West office is to be led by fellow Director, Brian Kelly a native of Donegal and the lead planner on several major projects including the Titanic Quarter, Odyssey Millennium project and Altnagelvin Hospital’s Radiotherapy Unit. He said:

“As a resident of the North West, I am delighted Turley is investing in a new office. This demonstrates a further commitment to our clients operating in the North West cross border region. We are responding to their demand, and a recognised opportunity to use planning to catalyse investments and deliver projects.

“Our own investment builds on a track record of high profile projects in the region, including the Radiotherapy unit, regeneration of Fort George and Ebrington Barracks, several social and private housing schemes, retail and other major employment & leisure schemes, including the Three Rivers development in Strabane.

“We see this as a next step in our growth at a time when there is new focus on the border region and opportunities that may be created following a ‘city’ or regional deal. There is simply no comparable ‘place-making’ planning offer operating in both jurisdictions in the North West region, and we look forward to working with clients and planning authorities throughout the area.”

The office investment will be followed by the appointment of three new posts. Michael Gordon explained:

“In recent years we have seen investor confidence returning. Turley has responded by continuing to develop our business to better support development projects. We now combine town planning, urban design, sustainability, economics and engagement expertise to help shape attractive commercially-viable places.

“Our team has grown to 14, the largest professional planning service on the island of Ireland. Market confidence has continued to return and has spurred our growth as we continue to secure significant permissions across commercial, residential and employment developments. We are now seeking to recruit three new positions to continue this growth and service the ongoing client work; with a senior planner in the North West, an assistant planner in Belfast, and a senior engagement consultant.”

Director of Engagement, John Davison added: “We have adapted to a reformed planning system that now sees local councils taking responsibility for local policy, and councillors in control of decision making. Planning has become increasingly local and community focussed. The emphasis now is on being engaged with local communities, locally elected representatives and to deliver economic growth opportunities. Our new office and these three new posts are a strategic response to maintain our growth and to service our clients.”

The new City of Derry~North West office is located at 37 Clarendon Street, BT48 7ER.

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Major Derry~Londonderry construction project to create 750 jobs

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Major Derry~Londonderry construction project to create 750 jobs: A major construction project in Londonderry will see the creation of around 750 direct and indirect jobs over the next three years. Braidwater is the company behind the £60m investment, which will go toward building over 400 houses. Those houses will be built in the Birch Hill Belt Road and Skeoge areas of the city. They are set for completion in 2020. It forms part of a wider £300m investment plan in the north-west by Braidwater.

Joe McGinnis, Managing Director of Braidwater, said: “We plan to offer homes of distinction, designed to enhance lifestyles by creating places of respite and community. We are planning communities while responding to existing neighbourhoods and connecting these through crafted open spaces. “For every £1 spent in construction £2.84 will be generated in the local economy. This will support a strong local supply chain maintained and grown since the recession, alongside the trickle-down economic effect for services, suppliers etc generated through local spending when new homes are occupied.

“These projects and additional long term projects will deliver significant benefits to the local economy including developer led contributions to roads improvements, public transport, play parks, neighbourhood centres, landscape maintenance in conjunction with the Council, commercial and retail areas and schools.

“This will give the ability for the district to maintain a competitive and affordable housing market in the long term, providing communities and economic activity that will leave a lasting legacy.”

Laura Fox, the Head of Planning with Derry City and Strabane District Council says her team have been working in close partnership with a number of developers from both the social and private housing sectors, including Braidwater, on a wide range of development projects across the City and District.

“Collaborative working between the planning team and the developers is essential to successfully delivering sustainable communities throughout the Council area.

“Since the transfer of Planning powers from Central Government to the local Council two years ago, the Council has overseen the approval of approximately 3000 units, while in the past year alone, we have successfully delivered on 367 social housing units, the highest number in any Council in Northern Ireland.”

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Derry ~ Strabane Graduate’s fashion label goes from strength to strength

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Haus Of MowHawk

Lynsey McGarrigle from Haus Of MowHawk

For as long as Lynsey McGarrigle can remember she wanted to be a fashion designer. The 26 year-old North West Regional College graduate has hit the industry like a whirlwind since the launch of her Haus Of MoHawk label last year, showcasing twice at London Fashion Week and designing bespoke pieces for a host of well-known celebrities.

But it’s been far from an overnight success story.

“From a very young age I was interested in design,” she recalls. “My mother’s favourite story is about a time when our living room curtains were sacrificed to make Barbie’s new Autumn Winter wardrobe.

“My first year art teacher was a major influence too, she had such passion for art that as a student I couldn’t help but immerse myself in all things design.

“Although my label launched just over a year ago, I had been working in fashion since the age of 15 through working in retail, modelling and beauty pageants.

“I developed my own fashion brand after graduating from the North West Regional College in Derry in 2012 where I graduated with distinction in both my foundation degree in Art and Design and a Higher National Diploma in Fashion and Textile Design.”

Lynsey was already standing out by that point having picked up The Adria Award in 2010 for Best Fashion Design and The Desmond and Sons Award Cup for Best Textile Collection 2012.
Her career as a model and beauty queen was gathering pace too and after being crowned Miss Tyrone in 2011 she went on to claim Miss United Nations Ireland and Miss United Nations Europe titles.

She was slowly gathering the necessary experience and knowledge of the fashion industry to take the plunge and launch her own label last year but it was the start-up business expertise and advice she received through Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Go For It programme that allowed her to turn that lifelong dream into a sustainable reality.

“The Go For It Program assisted me greatly in overcoming the business related challenges of start-up,” she admits.

“The main obstacle I had to overcome while formally setting up the business was the business side of the company. I could do the creative, artistic elements and what I was qualified to do being a fashion designer but where things lacked was the integral business element of the business; the business plan, business banking, sourcing funding, learning to keep accounts, registering with HMRC.

“Without their support Haus Of MoHawk would not be where it is today and on a personal note I have learnt a lot through the program and have become much more business savvy.”
Haus Of MoHawk is a ladies occasional wear brand that caters for red carpet events and special occasions and now boasts clients across three continents of the world.
The label was resident in the Four Seasons Hotel in Beijing in conjunction with China Fashion Week and this year received the Best New Business title at the Strabane Chamber of Commerce and Industry Awards.

She couldn’t have asked for a better first 12 months in Business but she believes it is a success she has earned by remaining focused on her dreams in often challenging circumstances.

“Like many others in this industry, the journey hasn’t been an easy path to trudge,” she conceded. “At times it has been an uphill battle of determination, financial difficulties, self doubt and perseverance against all odds because the dream is too much to give up.

“It’s been a journey of education and in the end a leap of faith to just go out there and make things happen for the love of my art. I don’t believe in luck, I believe in creating destiny, that keeping focused on the end goal will be enough of a reckoning force to achieve my aspirations.

“From a very young age I always dreamt of owning and running my own empire. I wanted to be able to do what I love and be in the position to take charge, make decisions and choose the course of my own life’s destiny regardless of the obstacles.

“In the fashion industry you learn to move quickly, whether that be making decisions or physical work; time waits for no one so with everything in life you need to seize the opportunity when it presents itself to you. Essentially time is money.”

With major plans in the coming months, the pace of Haus of MoHawk’s progress shows no signs of letting up but a love of what she is doing coupled with an insatiable work ethic means Lynsey is up for the challenge.

“The business is still a work in progress,” she continued. “The luxury of the fashion industry is that you get out what you put in.

“I am a great believer that you cannot out work someone who refuses to be outworked and Haus Of MoHawk’s client list for 2017 is ever growing.

“I hope to continue developing the brand on a national and international scale whilst holding onto the strong roots within Northern Ireland that established it.

“I have a few exciting projects and shows in the next number of months and along with a few very busy months I hope to explore the possibility of manufacturing later this year.

“So the future is promising and I feel truly blessed to be able to wake each morning and do what I love.”

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Stratified Medicine Revolution in the UK and Ireland Takes Leap Forward as First Students Graduate Landmark Course

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The first cohort of students to study a cutting-edge degree in personalised medicine in the UK and Ireland are set to graduate today from Ulster University in a milestone which promises to deliver a new era of healthcare.

Based at the Clinical Translational Research and Innovation Centre at Altnagelvin Hospital, the Stratified Medicine students have been taught new approaches to managing chronic diseases such as Arthritis, Alzheimer’s Disease, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer.

The course explores how genes, lifestyle and environment can influence disease. The practice relies on the use of biomarkers, such as genes or proteins, to organise patients into groups of individuals who are at risk of developing a disease, or who are likely to respond better to one therapy over other alternatives.

Dr Catriona Kelly, Course Director at Ulster University said: “We are proud to see the first intake of students graduate from our Stratified Medicine course. It’s a key milestone moment as the next generation of medical experts can now take us a step closer to providing the right treatment, for the right person, at the right time. We believe this is the future of medicine, globally.

“Our course, which is the first of its kind in the UK and Ireland, has focused on the development of new technologies and systems to predict disease, select the best treatment, and reduce side effects for individual patients. We know that this approach to streamlining healthcare provides more accurate clinical decision making.”

Stephen Morgan, who will graduate in Stratified Medicine from Ulster University this week, said: “I knew from a young age that my career path would involve science or medical research in some form and the idea of this particular course really appealed to me. It has provided me with practical skills and valuable insight into personalised care plans. This has been supported by two summer placements with the Almac Group which gave me the opportunity to learn advanced techniques and practices.

“My goal now is to complete a Masters degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics. In the future I would love to return to Ulster University, perhaps to study at a PhD level, to further research priority areas within Stratified Medicine and play a role in the development of this research globally.”

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125 civil service jobs announced for Derry~Londonderry

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A major contract for 125 jobs has been secured by the Department for Communities (DfC) with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for Derry~Londonderry.

The £7 million contract will see the people employed locally delivering Universal Credit services to claimants in Britain. The posts will be based at the Lisahally Service Centre in Derry.

A spokesperson for the Department for Communities said: “This is good news for DfC and for Northern Ireland, bringing to 594 the number of new jobs secured by the Department over the past year to deliver DWP services. “This third major contract for DfC is testament to the continued confidence DWP has in our capacity to provide high quality services for customers in Great Britain.” While some of the posts will be filled in the first instance through internal redeployment, it is expected that a “large proportion” of the posts will be filled through external recruitment, the Department said. The contract is for an initial two year period worth just over £3.5 million per annum and is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2017. It follows previous DWP contracts announced in September and December 2016, worth a combined £20 million.

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New hourly train service from Derry ~ Londonderry to Belfast

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New hourly train service from Derry ~ Londonderry to Belfast: A new hourly train service between Londonderry and Belfast has started.

New Hourly Train Service Between Derry and Belfast

New Hourly Train Service Between Derry and Belfast


The first train departed at 06:12 BST on Monday and the last train will arrive just before midnight.
The new timetable was introduced after Translink spent £46.4m on a new passing loop, and signalling infrastructure, on the Coleraine-to-Derry line. The service between the two cities will remain unchanged on a Sunday, with just six trains. “We are pleased to be introducing this new hourly timetable, making it more convenient and attractive for passengers to travel to and from Derry-Londonderry, connecting people and supporting the local economy, attracting visitors and investment,” said Translink Group Chief Executive Chris Conway.

“This significant timetable improvement will mean more choices for passengers travelling between NI’s two main cities and along the route.”

Translink believes that the enhanced train timetable, together with existing bus services, will strengthen links between the North West and Belfast. Martin Melaugh from the transport lobby group Into The West welcomed the news, with one or two caveats. “It’s good for commuters, tourists, business but unfortunately we can only award Translink six marks out of seven because we are only getting the hourly service Monday to Saturday,” Mr Melaugh told the BBC.Passengers travelling from Derry to Dublin will still face a delay when they arrive into Belfast, as the new service misses the Enterprise connection by about 15 minutes.
Translink have said they will continue to talk with key stakeholders about how to improve the rail network.

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