£2.7m Clanmil investment in 19 homes will breath new life into Derry city centre

The £2.7m regeneration project by Clanmil Housing Group will see the building renovated to provide 19 modern apartments for active older people. The project is being funded by Clanmil with the assistance of grant support from the Department for Communities via the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

The construction contract has been awarded to local builders AMS Ltd and the 1 and 2 bedroom apartments have been designed by Gravity Architects to the Lifetime Homes and Secured by Design standards, which ensure added security and flexibility of adaptation if required at a later date.

The regeneration project will breathe new life into the building, formerly used as office accommodation, which has been derelict for a number of years. When complete it will provide modern, city centre living, combining a convenient location with excellent design to provide homes that are ideally suited to people over 55.

The existing ground floor retail units will be retained and the current occupiers Rockets and Paolo's Pizza will continue to operate as normal throughout the construction period.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Brian Tierney, said: "I am pleased to welcome the investment by Clanmil in providing quality residential accommodation within the heart of Derry City Centre.

"The creation of 19 modern apartments targeted at the over 55 age category will also contribute to creating a more mixed residential offering in the City Centre, and help to further promote the benefits of city centre living in terms of convenience and ease of access to shops, services as well as our network of greenways and parks. I congratulate Clanmil and its partners in bringing forward this exciting development for our City Centre."

Carol McTaggart, Group Director of Development at Clanmil, said: "I am delighted that work has started on bringing this city centre building back into use providing homes for people who need them. We hope that with their carefully considered modern design, the apartments will be a wonderful addition to Derry City Centre.

"We appreciate how closely local political representatives have worked with us to get the project to this stage and we are really looking forward to welcoming people to their new homes here in Waterloo Street in Autumn 2022."