DC&SDC: Green light for Fort George office development 'welcomed'

The application, originally lodged in 2017, had been held up due to concerns raised by DfI Rivers 'regarding the safety and management of the Creggan Reservoirs and potential flooding risk if these reservoirs fail'.

Derry City and Strabane Council received correspondence from the Department with a Notice of Opinion to approve planning permission on September 15.

The Reserved Matters application proposes an office development for science and IT-based business with around 5,000m2 gross floorspace.

The proposal provides a second office building, now renamed Catalyst Inc NW (Phase 2), at the North West Regional Science Park.

The first building, occupied and named ‘The Innovation Centre’ (Phase 1), lies immediately adjacent the north-west corner of the site and the proposed office building will be similar in scale and design to Phase 1 and will form a unified design solution with the buildings connected by a hard surface concourse.

The overall purpose of Catalyst Inc NW is to provide agile workspace solutions by providing cutting-edge facilities for modern business. The Innovation Centre provides bookable meeting and event spaces, on-site data services, as well as other flexible facilities.

Welcoming the Notice of Opinion to Approve, Sinn Féin Councillor Christopher Jackson said: “It’s a fantastic development and a positive move forward.

“The Fort George site is a site that’s got great potential and this is a step towards realising that potential.

“This is another example of potential investment in this city and I’m happy to propose that we note the contents of the paper."

SDLP Councillor John Boyle agreed: “As Councillor Jackson has pointed out there is great ambition for the Fort George site and there’s been much frustration over the last number of years since the site was handed over to the government department to develop.

“I think we all look forward to the day when this application is up and ready to be inhabited.”