CGI images released of 'H2' project The Cashel billed as one of Europe’s biggest housing schemes

The first CGI images of ‘The Cashel’ have been released, showcasing ‘a contemporary, eco-friendly vision for the project’.

The £450m investment - a collaboration between Braidwater and Apex - will see 3,000 homes built in a new suburb on the Derry-Inishowen border.

The development on ‘H2’ lands between Whitehouse and Coshquin is one of the largest schemes in the planning system and has the potential to be as crucial to the expansion of Derry as the creation of Creggan and Shantallow in the 1940s and 1960s.

Releasing new imagery of the village Braidwater and Apex have said it will ‘aim to be low carbon’.

Barry Kerr, Director of Development at Apex said: “The Cashel represents one of the most significant investments in the northwest in recent years.

"This initial phase will create 700 homes with an emphasis on remaining carbon conscious and building for the future, and with the new Northwest Greenway passing alongside the development we are looking forward to continuing on the journey towards decarbonisation.”

Finbarr Grogan, Planning and Technical Director with Braidwater, said: “We are very satisfied of the efforts taken to date on design, consultation and collaboration to deliver a scheme of which we all can be proud.”

The 3D renderings illustrate a selection of the homes, streets and green zones that are set to make up the project, from an ambitious high street and communal spaces to intimate bungalows and apartments.

School sites, play parks and pedestrian/cycle ways are also integral to the plans of the full site, allowing a range of newly created communities to thrive.

A scheme over twenty years in the making, ‘The Cashel’, is expected to deliver new social, affordable, and private homes within a brand-new border village community on the outskirts of Derry city, helping to alleviate the growing need for new housing stock in the city.

The Cashel is expected to provide a significant economic boost for the region, with approximately 300 construction jobs earmarked for Phase one alone, and both organisations are excited to share a taster of what is to come for the currently vacant lands.

Braidwater has described it as one of the biggest housing projects in Europe.

Mr. Grogan said: “The large-scale, mixed-use and mixed-housing schemes at the heart of The Cashel have never been delivered in any other zoning across the city or indeed wider afield, and this innovative approach demonstrates our commitment to tackle new challenges whatever the scale.

A Reserved Matters (planning) application for phase 1 of the project was submitted last year with the developer hopeful of work proceeding this year. More information on this major development can be found at thecashel.com.