Derry City Football Club 'delight' as new Brandywell Stadium 'North Terrace' gets green light

The Brandywell club declared its ‘delight’ at the recent progress with club chairman Mr Philip O'Doherty and the Board of Directors stating they 'keen to ensure that we now move ahead with this process as soon as possible’.

A statement from the club read: "Derry City FC is delighted to note that planning permission has been confirmed today for the proposed new stand at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

"The Chairman and Board of Directors at the club are keen to ensure that we now move ahead with this process as soon as possible.

"The club will meet with stakeholders at the earliest opportunity and update supporters as soon as we have an agreed timeframe.

"We wish to record our thanks to Derry City & Strabane District Council for their help to date."

The proposed safe-standing North Terrace at the Brandywell Road end of the ground will accommodate 2,940 supporters which will increase the overall capacity of the Lone Moor Road venue to 6,242.

The planning application for the works and redevelopment of the Council-owned stadium comprising partial demolition of Southend Stand and development of the new terrace, male and female toilet facilities, two sets of turnstiles and gates, was unanimously approved by Council officers at a meeting of the Planning Committee on Wednesday afternoon.

The stadium capacity will have the potential to increase further to 7,408 when the permitted works to the Mark Farren Stand are completed.

N. Ireland Water initially objected to the construction on the grounds that the proposed development is located in an area where the NI Water foul sewerage network is subject to capacity constraints and has the potential to adversely affect the surface water environment.

However, NI Water agreed to produce a site-specific development solution in conjunction with Derry City FC in order to mitigate any potential issues and remain 'keen to support the development of the Brandywell Stadium upgrade project'.

Mark McIvor, Director of MCI Planning and the agent acting on behalf of Derry City FC, said the club will continue to liaise with NI Water and once they receive the necessary feedback, they will be in a position to continue with construction plans.

"I welcome planning officers' recommendation to approve the application following their assessment of the proposal against planning policy (which) will deliver much needed community infrastructure for the city," he said.

"The design team appointed to deliver this project are familiar with the stadium having worked on, designed and delivered the partially completed Mark Farren Stand.

"The North Stand will enable more fans to attend games and participate in the match night experience," he continued. "Currently this is not always possible for everyone due to the limited capacity in the stadium and the high levels of demand. An informal public consultation was held both online and at the Brandywell Stadium promoting this proposal.

"It was very well attended by local councillors, residents and supporters alike. During that event the proposals received overwhelming support and it was abundantly clear that there was a strong desire for this project to proceed."

In relation to NI Water concerns, Mr McIvor insisted his planning and design team are in regular contact and hope to have any issues resolved 'in a timely manner'.

"We have done everything we can in terms of bringing forward the assessment," he said. "We are currently awaiting feedback from NI Water on that and on receipt of that feedback we will then be in a position to consider and then I can respond in more detail in due course when that arrives.

"Obviously the planning officers are recommending a condition that stipulates that the stand does not become operational until that has been resolved. I think it's in everyone's interests and everyone's desire to have that resolved in a timely manner and well before the new stand is completed."

When asked about the potential for further capacity in the new stand, Mr McIvor revealed that it was the intention of Derry City FC to install rail seating which would allow them to increase capacity without having to expand the stand any further.

"That capacity has been looked at by the design team and they feel the capacity put forward is actually the maximum capacity that can be achieved when one takes into consideration health and safety requirements.

"The club has futureproofed the use of the stand and are currently considering the introduction of racked or rail seating which is used in other grounds right throughout Europe.

"This effectively affords the applicant an opportunity to utilise seats or standing depending on the nature of the competition at the time."

Speaking after the meeting, Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Sean Mooney, said: “This is very welcome news for football fans, as it will significantly enhance the visitor experience at the stadium.

"I am delighted to see these plans progressing well, I want to acknowledge the work of the various teams within Council who have been working closely with Derry City FC and the local community to progress the project.

"It will be fantastic for the club and a great resource for the local sporting community, and I look forward to seeing the work commence on site.”