DFM says ‘significant degree of dereliction’ in Fountain tackled by ‘positive’ Urban Villages work

Mrs. Little-Pengelly pointed to major developments at the Cathedral Youth Club and New Gate Arts and Culture Centre as success stories.

DUP MLA Gary Middleton said: “The Fountain is one area that has benefited from Urban Villages. Will the deputy First Minister outline how the Fountain area has benefited and what plans there are for the Urban Villages programme?”

The minister replied: “Really pleasing progress has been made on the Derry/Londonderry Urban Villages area. It was one of the very first areas that I visited back when I was junior Minister when we were creating the scheme.

"It was very clear when we visited all the areas impacted that there was a significant degree of dereliction and of support required. One of the key things that was said to me, particularly in the Cathedral Youth Club, which I visited, was that there were lots of ideas about how to improve the area.

"The local community knew the solutions to some of the challenges that it faced, but it was often very difficult to find the appropriate scheme because the criteria were quite exclusionary.”

She pointed to the Fountain play park and Cathedral Youth Club.

"There is also the very exciting New Gate Arts and Culture Centre, which everybody in the city will be aware of. That is a very significant new build with a very exciting programme coming up. There has been lots of very positive work,” she said.