Crawford Square park in line for spruce up

Colr. Cooper said the move follows safety concerns that overgrown areas were hindering the vision of drivers in the area.

Crawford Square is one of Derry’s most historic residential areas and the central park in the area dates back to the 19th Century.

Colr. Cooper said: “I had received a number of complaints that the hedges were blocking motorists view.

“Anyone who is in the area on a daily basis will tell you how busy it is due its proximity to the city centre and, in particular, the Northland Road which sees hundreds of cars on it 24 hours a day.

“It’s also important to get the hedges cut back for the safety of pedestrians to stop anyone having to step out onto a busy road for even a few second,” he said.

Crawford Square forms part of the designated Clarendon Conservation Area.

The terraced, three storey high homes along the left hand side of the park were built around 150 years ago to designs by architect Fitzgibbon Louch.

Famous residents have included Alexandrina McCausland Stewart (1865-1942), who lived at 9 Crawford Square.

The Ulster History Circle erected a plaque outside the home of the County Dublin native who was in her time known as the first lady of music. She was known to be a frequent performer in St.Columbs Choral Union in Derry in 1887, and formed the Londonderry Philharmonic, and helped lay the groundwork for the establishment of the Derry Feis in 1900, the second in Ireland.

Her husband Abraham was engineer to Derry’s Corporation and also worked with the Port and Harbour Commissioners. He was instrumental in the development of railway infrastructure in parts of Donegal, and he was also architect for the Derry and Raphoe diocese.