Multi-million pound plans to transform Strabane

NEW REGENERATION plans for Strabane totalling £102million will represent the largest-ever capital investment in the town’s history.

Announced this week by Derry City and Strabane District Council, the plans will see Strabane town centre transformed over the next number of years with the building of a new state-of-the-art health care centre, a new pedestrian bridge, a new home for the North West Regional College Strabane Campus and a brand new leisure centre.

The council is hoping that most of the money for the project will be paid by government through the City Deal Inclusive Future Fund (£50m), while the Department of Health will provide £18.2m, the Department for Infrastructure £4.4m and the council £29.4m.

The plans were unveiled at a special meeting of Derry City and Strabane on Monday along with costings and a plan of action.

According to the council’s Chief Executive, John Kelpie, the project aims to ‘reimagine and revitalise’ Strabane through the creation through a cocktail of new build projects.

Plans include a new pedestrian bridge, which will drive footfall through whole town by creating a link between Bradley Way and the town centre.

Mr Kelpie said the project’s ultimate objective is to make private investment commercially viable on sites which have been ‘underutilised for decades’.

Council officers said the project’s original investment estimate, of £79m, had increased to £102m due to inflation and other factors.

Mr Kelpie said their highly-detailed report was essential to start the project quickly and, at the current stage of development, a functioning Executive isn’t required.

“The scale and enormity that has gone into this to date is quite staggering,” he said. “And endorsement today and getting them into the system is the first part.

“The second part is to drive forward for appraisal of business cases and the better the input, the quicker the output. We’re aiming for a financial deal by Spring or Summer next year.

“We’re working with the central government and can’t get a clear answer on whether financial dealing is possible without an Executive. It’s not impeding the process at this time, but there will come a point where it does or doesn’t require an Executive.”

Strabane was included in the City Deal funding due to a motion which was put forward at council in 2018 by independent councillor Paul Gallagher who this week said he was glad to see the concrete plans at the meeting. He further believes that ‘diggers are just around the corner’ and ground will be broke before 2028.

Cllr Gallagher said, “Tuesday’s meeting represented a huge leap forward for the regeneration of Strabane town Centre. It has become very real and these works being completed will be a massive boost for the town.

“The people of Strabane have been waiting for a new health centre and leisure facilities for a long time and these plans will ensure that we will get state of the art amenities in the middle of the town. The new college campus will also be a huge uplift and will help footfall throughout the town.

“Hopefully work can begin sooner rather than later, but diggers and building work looks to be just around the corner.”

Independent councilor Raymond Barr said he was slightly cynical of the new plans but said if they go ahead they would be a ‘game changer’ for the town.

Cllr Barr said, “In relation to the meeting, there’s no doubt the project, if it comes to fruition, will be the most transformative project the town has ever seen. It’s difficult not to be excited when listening to the plans being articulated by the various agencies and council officers; there’s no doubt it would be a serious game changer for Strabane. However it will be a case of seeing is believing for Strabane folk given the disappointment and delays over the delivery of the Riverine and the public realm work.”