It's trojan work. And as the first phase of the Walled City Partnership reaches its end, its impact is already clear, from the transformed Northern Counties Hotel building in Waterloo Place to the work going on at the former Bees Cycles at the top of Shipquay Street.
The first grant of £1m from the Heritage Lottery Fund is now spent, but the good news is that an even bigger one could be on the way for phase two.
Ronan O'Donnell said the aim of the Walled City Partnership has been to regenerate the historic 'core buildings' of Derry and breathe new life into spaces that have been vacant or under-used.
"It's about helping the city to succeed as a vibrant retail, commercial, cultural and residential area," he said.
"It's about providing a safe and attractive environment in which to work and live, and helping us all to feel a pride of place. It's also about supporting independent shops and small businesses with unique identities and styles."
Ronan said it all began through the Foyle Civic Trust, which applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund with the backing of the City Council and the City Centre Initiative.
"It was clear that there was a need for economic regeneration in the heart of the city, and that there was a number of important buildings at risk. The application was successful, getting a grant of £1m under the Walled City Townscape Heritage Initiative."
The Walled City Partnership was set up to administer the money, and it was decided that the area to focus on should have as its boundaries Shipquay Street, Shipquay Place, Waterloo Place and Waterloo Street.
Other partners came in to help, including the North-West Office of the Department of Social Development, the Planning Service, the Housing Executive and the Environmental Agency. Along with the support of the owners of the properties, it meant that the project led to an investment of £5m in total across the seventeen properties.

Completed projects

So far eleven properties have been restored, the most recent and prominent being the late Victorian Northern Counties Hotel building in Waterloo Place, which was originally opened in 1901.
It remained as a hotel until the 1950's, playing host to many notable visitors including aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and celebrated American writer John Steinbeck.
Thanks to its refurbishment, the ground floor will now house shops, with office accommodation on the upper floors.
While the Northern Counties building may be considered the flagship of Phase 1, Ronan has stressed the importance of the other properties, most notably those in Waterloo Street.
"To date seven properties have been completed within Waterloo Street, the most noticeable being the cluster at the junction with Castle Gate. These premises were originally constructed in 1907 as a boot workshop and warehouse for McKeown's boot makers.
Properties undertaken in Shipquay Street include the fine Grade B1 Listed premises of 1870, formerly the Bank of Ireland and now housing the Veritas shop, which was completed in 2008.
"In addition to the Bank of Ireland premises, number 14 Shipquay Street and 2 Castle Street were also restored by 2006. The Castle Street property was originally constructed in 1825 as a public library and reading rooms, paid for through private subscription.
The premises, fronting onto Castle Street and with three tall arch headed windows, originally a full-height library room, boasted the city's first public telephone in 1889. It was in the newsroom of the library."
One of the more controversial elements of the scheme has been the removal of external roller shutters on shops and premises but that's proved very successful so far.
Ronan said from the start it's been a genuine partnership, and that's been key to success.
"It's had the backing of Council through the elected representatives and the Economic Development Section, the City Centre Initiative has given support and we've had the experience of all our advisors. On top of that has been the role of the property owners, which has obviously been central.
"The fact that this partnership is to progress to a new five year Phase II programme is testament to the strength of bond the partnership has nurtured," he added.

More funds on the way?

The Walled City Partnership has been successful in their Stage 1 Bid for a further £1,669,000.00 funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Stage 2 Bid is currently being progressed and the plan is to have a new five year programme of restoration.
Ronan said this time the boundary will be extended slightly but the concentration of works will remain within the current area.
This will allow the project to build on what's already been done, and to move from single buildings to work on clusters and blocks.
Part of the work of the project has been to foster an appreciation locally of Derry's rich heritage in terms of buildings.
"We're working with the primary schools now through both educational and fun projects," he said. "The aim is to promote a sense of ownership and pride of place among the young people of the city, and that this will come through when it comes to be their turn - and the turn of generations after them - to look after these wonderful buildings."
Ronan O'Donnell would like to hear from anyone interested in the work of the Partnership. Email Ronan.O'Donnell@derrycity.gov.uk