Work to start on new £1.45m sports pavilion

Sinn Féin Councillor Sandra Duffy said the replacement of the old Leafair Pavilion, which was built in 1994 and is no longer fit for purpose, will be a massive boost for the area.

Speaking to the ‘Journal’ Colr. Duffy said: “I welcome the news that work will be beginning on the new Sports Pavilion at the 3G Pitches in early March.

“This is good news for the local area. This new Pavilion will be a state of the art sports and recreation facility for use in the community.”

The development is being led by Derry City and Strabane District Council and the local Leafair Community Association (LCA) with much of the funding secured via central government’s Social Investment Fund (SIF).

It’s expected the facility will be ready in under a year.

Colr. Duffy said: “LCA secured £1.45 million for the building, which will be across three floors.

“The first floor will be changing facilities for clubs using the pitches. The second floor will consist of community and recreational space and the third floor will contain sports rooms and office facilities.

“This is an exciting opportunity to achieve such a building within the Greater Galliagh area and I congratulate LCA for their work on this project.

“It is envisaged that the work will take up to 12 months to complete.”