Housing development at Adria site gets green light

Strabane Sinn Féin Councillor Michaela Boyle has expressed her delight that full planning permission has been granted for the transformation of the old Adria site in the town for a 158 mixed social housing development in a £20m investment by Habinteg Housing Association.

The local councillor said, “This is a project very close to my heart having extensively lobbied for it, along with my party colleagues, and supported the Housing Executive and Habinteg in moving forward these plans, I am delighted that full planning permission for this exciting development has been granted at today’s Planning meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

“This massive £20m investment comprises of 158 residential units in a mix of dwellings and apartments of mixed tenure, two retail units, Play Area, multi-functional community space & ancillary accommodation with public and private amenity space, parking, landscaping with access arrangements from Beechmount Avenue.

“This represents the largest social housing development in Strabane for a generation and will go some way to redressing the social housing waiting list in this area and in particular help to alleviate the plight of those in acute housing stress. This development will also contribute greatly to employment opportunities and with an estimated 160 construction jobs resulting, it will be timely boost to the local economy.

 “Construction is expected to last 36 weeks and with diggers expected on site in the not too distant future there is at last ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for long- suffering local residents in particular who have lived in the shadow of the eyesore the Adria site had become since falling derelict and who have too often had to endure anti-community activity which spilled over from it.”

• See tomorrow’s Strabane Chronicle for further information.