£280,000 in compensation paid out as a result of Ebrington dispute

SDLP MLA Sinéad McLaughlin said: “I find it incomprehensible that clear legal agreements were not in place to resolve the use of Ebrington Square.

"We now have the absurd situation of significant payments being made, when contracts should have been in place that provided complete and binding legal clarity over use of Ebrington Square.”

She was speaking after TEO confirmed £280,000 was paid to three parties to allow a number of events to proceed as planned in 2023.

In a letter to Ms. McLaughlin, Joan O’Hara, Director of Urban Villages and Infrastructure, said it had been ‘placed in the difficult position of having to balance the risks posed to the public purse and the resultant likelihood of all events being cancelled versus seeking to mediate with all affected parties, within a very short timescale, in an attempt to facilitate the events to take place’.

The letter continued: “Settlements were reached in respect of the below parties:

“Cullen’s Funfair - received a settlement of £50k which was in part to compensate for their events in 2023 and 2024 taking place on a smaller

space in the rear car park reflecting their reduced income;

“Robert Allen/Connected Festival - received a settlement of £80k to compensate for the loss of sales and reinstating services within a short

timeframe, resulting in increased costs and in respect of his agreement to withdraw his application to hold events on Ebrington Square in 2024; and

“Ebrington Hotel - received an ex-gratia payment of £150k (inclusive of legal costs) in full and final settlement of any claim howsoever arising between themselves and TEO in respect of the events/events and licensing process for August 5-6 and August 24-27 2023.”

Ms. McLaughlin described this as ‘a waste of public money and the Derry public potentially being deprived of events in a public space’.

In its correspondence with Ms. McLaughlin TEO said it has ‘identified and agreed to embrace further checks and balances in its own process in the hope that the holding of future events will have the full support of all sections of the local community’.

'No decision' yet on cancelling events at Ebrington Square in Derry