Video: Message from the Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Michaela Boyle, and Council service COVID-19 update for Thursday, March 26

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 at 028 71 253253 or by email at [email protected]

You can also get regular updates and information via our website at derrystrabane.com/coronavirus

and on Facebook and Twitter.

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 – All Council owned Play Parks are 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.

The public are asked to undertake the following actions in order to limit the spread of the virus;

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.

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

Recycling centres - All Council recycling centres continue to remain open at present with plans in place to close a number of sites from next week.

Sites at Eglinton, Park, Donemana, Plumbridge, Killeen and Newtownstewart will close from next Monday, 30 March 2020

The remaining sites at – Pennyburn, Strathfoyle, Claudy, Glendermott and Strathans Rd - will continue to open but with a number of restrictions in place. Entry to these sites will be restricted to cars and small vans only carrying domestic waste,recycling or green waste. All other vehicle and waste types will not be permitted. Larger bulky items will not be accepted at this time.

Please note the Strathans Road Recycling Centre in Strabane will remain open until 8.00 pm, Monday to Friday to facilitate users from other areas and ensure social distancing measures can be implemented.

The public are strongly advised that as per the Government guidance issued this week they should NOT be making non-essential journeys including bringing materials unnecessarily to recycling centres. Users of the Pennyburn Recycling Centre are advised that the traffic management system remains in place with stewards deployed to assist staff.

Strict social distancing restrictions continue to apply at the sites and the verbal abuse of staff will NOT be tolerated. Please note that this service is continually under review as Council continues to put the health, safety and well-being of its staff to the fore and Council takes into consideration the Government advice on essential services.

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

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

Births deaths and marriage registration – The Council’s Registration of Births Deaths and Marriages service is continuing to operate, however as a result of Government recommendations a number of changes have been made to service provision. The Strabane office remains temporarily closed and restriction measures are in place at the Derry office including a strict appointment only system. Please telephone 02871 253253 or 02871 376520 or email [email protected]. To view all the details relating to the changes to services please visit – www.derrystrabane.com/district-registration.

Cemeteries – Council has put into place a number of operational changes to protect the health and safety of staff, mourners and the wider public at our sites and continue to work closely with the Churches and undertakers in relation to funeral planning and cemetery arrangements and is putting into place additional measures to protect staff and the public.

Cemeteries at present remain open to pedestrians and vehicles, however as per Government guidelines in relation to staying at home, we would ask the public to consider limiting visits to our cemeteries. Whilst we understand that families want to visit graves, the volume of traffic within our cemeteries is causing us some concern.

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.

The consultation on LDP Draft Plan Strategy Representations has been suspended. Anyone looking for planning information, application forms, planning fees and planning applications are encouraged to visit the planning portal: http: //www.planningni.gov.uk/

Building control service–– While site inspections have been suspended until further notice, the Building Control service has put into place a number of measures to allow other aspects of its service to continue. Please contact the service directly at [email protected]

Environmental Health Services – Environmental Health has put into place a number of measures to allow it to operate as many services as possible and can be contacted via the main office at 028 71 2532532

Please contact the service areas directly at:

Environmental ProtectionE:[email protected]

Food Safety E:[email protected]

Health and Safety: E:[email protected]

Health & Housing: E:health&[email protected]

Port Health E:[email protected]

Licensing E:[email protected]

Dog Control: E:[email protected]

Animal Welfare Service: Calls continue to be prioritised and investigated, providing it is safe for staff to do so and within the Government guidelines. Staff are not permitted to enter domestic properties). The service remains under review on an ongoing basis. Animal charities have closed therefore there is no provision in place to rehome animals. Contact details: 028 82256226 E:[email protected]

Council Events – All Council organised events up until the end of July have been cancelled – they include: the City of Derry Jazz Festival, the North West Angling Fair, the Strabane Lifford Half Marathon, the Foyle Maritime Festival, the Strabane Summer Jamm, the Worker’s Rights and Social Justice Week and the Battle of the Atlantic VE Day commemorations. All events in Council owned facilities are also cancelled up until the end of May.

Business support –. The Council Business team are available to offer advice and assistance to local businesses on the level of Government business support available. They are updating this information and uploading it via the website at - https://www.derrystrabane.com/businessupdates

Community Services staff are working from home at present and 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. Officers can be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected]

Sports Development - All Sports Development programmes/delivery have been postponed until further notice. Officers are available to assist and follow up on any queries from the public. For any general enquiries please contact [email protected]. All officers have access to this email and will be picked up be relevant officer.

Community Safety Wardens – Community Safety Wardens have been temporarily redeployed to assist in patrolling our public parks to help with social distancing and providing reassurance and advice to the public. They will also continue as best they can to provide vital community service in an effort to provide reassurance and protection to our communities and keep people safe at this difficult time for many. Contact details – TRIAX/Waterside (07709 457690) / Outer North/Outer West (07736 213140) and Rural Waterside (07736 213152).

City of Derry Airport – A significant number of changes have been made by the airlines to some flight schedules operating at the Airport. The public are urged to visit the airport website for live flight information and regular updates. For more information visit –www.cityofderryairport.com