Having your say in your area's future

The local Council’s Planning Department are encouraging the public to get involved and have their say in the creation of a Local Development Plan (LDP).

Mayor Alderman Hilary McClintock, encouraging the public to get involved and said the new plan will “enable us to plan positively for the future of the Council area to ensure that lands are appropriately and sustainably zoned to permit a range of development, including housing, economic, retail and community infrastructure”.

She added: “We want as many people as possible to contribute their thoughts as to how they want this LDP to serve them and assist in creating a better future for those living, working and visiting our City and District.

“It’s imperative that the local community get involved and be part of the process to ensure that our local perspective – both urban and rural is incorporated into the LDP preparation which will guide development decisions within Derry City and Strabane District up to 2030.”

Maura Fox, Head of Planning at Derry City and Strabane District Council, said that this new approach to planning is based on greater transparency and accessibility and, that engagement and feedback with the public, statutory authorities, developers and other interested bodies, is viewed as essential.

“We want to engage with the public and stakeholders through our website to seek their views and ideas that will help us shape the framework of our draft plan.

“By getting involved at the early stages of this process, you will have a significant role in determining the future of this District and be part of shaping it for future generations.

“We are particularly keen to hear from younger citizens and get them involved in this process as they will see the impact and reap the benefits in the future” she explained.

To get involved, the public are encouraged to engage via the website – www.derrystrabane.com/ldp on a range of topics that will help inform the Preferred Options Paper (POP) which is the next key document in the LDP’s preparation. This will inform and shape the subsequent Plan Strategy and the Local Policies Plan documents.

The first three LDP topics for engagement and feedback are City and Town Centres, Economic Development and Retailing.

Persons interested in giving their views on these topics are encouraged to log onto the website and leave their comments on a short questionnaire.

In addition to the LDP, in the coming weeks, citizens will also be able to leave their opinion on the proposed design of key, prominent buildings.

Planning officials want to hear what people think of the design of key landmarks, both buildings and public art, proposed for Derry & Strabane.