Derry and Strabane Council COVID-19 service update for Tuesday, March 31

This service update is updated daily through the media, the Council website - www.derrystrabane.com/coronavirus and on Facebook and Twitter in an effort to keep everyone informed.

Council civic offices and public buildings – All Council owned buildings – including the Civic Offices in Derry and Strabane, the Tower Museum, Guildhall and Alley Theatre - remain closed to the public until further notice.

Critical services will continue to operate and the public can continue to contact Council by phone at028 71 253253 or by email at [email protected]

Committee meetings – All Council committee meetings have been temporarily suspended.

Leisure centres- All Council owned leisure centres remain closed until further notice. Anyone who has any queries regarding leisure membership should contact – [email protected]

Community centres – All Council owned community centres remain closed until further notice.

Play parks, pitches and sports pavilions – All Council owned play parks, pitches and sports pavilions remain closed.

Public Parks – All Council public parks and open spaces currently remain open. As per Government advice these will remain open to allow the public to exercise only. The Council is continuing to advise the public to adhere to the Public Health Authority guidelines in relation to social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, and to act responsibly when out and about using our public parks and open spaces. Public gatherings ARE NOT permitted within public parks.

Bin Collection Services remain operational however the public are being asked to leave their bins out for collection at an earlier time of 7am to allow crews to get around all households.

Council cannot collect additional black bags left beside bins, please use the blue, black and brown bins provided appropriately, making sure to separate waste as usual according to recycling guidelines and to dispose of waste responsibly.

The Council believes the public have adequate bin capacity as long as they are not dumping unnecessary additional items and appeals to be the public to be mindful of not putting additional pressure on Council waste services resources at this time.

To assist us limit the spread of the virus, we would encourage the public to;

• Clean the lids and handles of bins before and after collection.

• Dispose of tissues and disposable cleaning wipes separately placing them in two plastic bags, tying and storing inside for 3 days before putting in the external black bin.

• Place all food waste in compostable bags and ensure that they are tied before putting in your BROWN BIN.

• Bring bins out either the night before their scheduled collection day or before 7am on collection day.

• Park considerately so lorries can access streets to service bins.

Recycling centres

All 11 Council recycling centres remain CLOSED to the public.

The public are strongly advised that as per the Government guidance at the weekend they should NOT be making non-essential journeys and should be staying at home.

The public are advised to use their blue, black and brown bins as appropriate and to separate waste as usual according to recycling guidelines and to dispose of waste responsibly and to be mindful of not putting additional pressure on Council waste services resources at this time.

The Council believes the public have adequate bin capacity as long as they are not dumping unnecessary additional items.

The public are reminded that it is an offence to dump indiscriminately and they could face a Fixed Penalty Notice or a fine imposed by the court.

Protecting our environment and keeping our streets, laneways and greenways clean are still a priority and everyone has their role to play.

For more information visit – www.derrystrabane.com/recycling

Bulky Waste service – this service has been temporarily suspended to facilitate other essential waste service provision.

Street cleansing – Street cleansing services are continuing but with some changes to ensure the health and safety of the officers and the public.

Cemeteries – All Council cemeteries remain CLOSED to the public as of today Monday, 30 March 2020. Under the new Government legislation cemeteries must be closed and can only open to facilitate funerals and burials.

The Council understands that these measures are very difficult for many families who are grieving and want to visit the graves of loved ones.

We continue to work closely with the Churches and undertakers in relation to funeral planning and cemetery arrangements and appreciate the co-operation and understanding of the public at this time.

Births deaths and marriage registration –The Council’s Registration of Births Deaths and Marriages service is continuing to operate and following new Government legislation is now able to provide an online service that will allow death registrations to be carried out without the attendance of an informant at the Registrars Office.

The Strabane Registrars office remains temporarily closed and restriction measures remain in place at the Derry office. Anyone with any queries please telephone 02871 253253 or 02871 376520 or email [email protected]. To view all the details relating to the changes to services and to access the relevant online forms please visitwww.derrystrabane.com/district-registration.

Community Services staff are working with the Department for Communities, local community groups and advice services to ensure that resources being made available in this emergency situation are delivered on the ground as soon as possible. They are also working this week to help distribute the £280,000 funding package announced by Council last week to support community led responses to assist the most vulnerable. The funding package will see an initial £15k for each of the District electoral areas to support local responses and a further investment of £80k will be released on a rolling basis subject to need and the availability of regional funds. The Council is working with the Community Foundation NI’s Acorn Fund to deliver an additional £50k to ensure the swift delivery of funds.

Car parks – Council owned car parks remain open as normal and the Department for Infrastructure has announced the temporary suspension of all on-street and off-street parking enforcement.

Planning Service has put into place a number of measures to allow it to provide a range of services including receiving of recent planning applications submissions by post and issuing priority, delegated planning decisions already in the system, (position under review.) Enforcement complaints are being dealt with on a priority basis as per Council's Planning Enforcement Strategy, with Priority 1 cases being prioritised and all other complaints being considered (position under review).

The public can contact the service directly at [email protected] or contact the main office at 028 71 253253.