Mark H. Durkan

Carlisle House

Durkan expresses concern over proposed NIHE office closures

Liz Kimmins has said no budget decision has yet been taken on the long-awaited A2 Buncrana Road upgrade but the critical project must ‘tie in with the North West Transport Plan’.

Kimmins says A2 Buncrana Road must ‘tie in with the North West Transport Plan’

Claims SDLP and SF opposed wind farms in Derry & Strabane rebutted by Durkan during Stormont debate

Claims SDLP and SF opposed wind farms in Derry & Strabane rebutted

Approximately £45,000 a day has been spent on emergency temporary accommodation across the North this year whilst expenditure has grown from zero in 2015/16 to an all-time high of £16,634,403 in 2024/25.

£45k-a-day on emergency digs as expenditure grows from zero to £16.6m

Senior civil servants at the Department for Infrastructure have said it is important the people of the Bogside know what they are getting when a new residents’ parking scheme is eventually rolled out.

People need to know what they are getting with Bogside scheme, officials say

Magee College

‘Strong desire’ to ensure Magee neighbours aren't ‘overwhelmed’ by 10k students

The late Manus Martin.

Tributes paid to Derry cancer fund-raiser and campaigner Manus Martin

Plans to illuminate the Foyle Valley Greenway with fifty new six metre lighting columns have been welcomed by local political representatives.

Plans to illuminate Foyle Valley Greenway welcomed by representatives

The Crescent Link is to be resurfaced immediately outside the fire station within the next six months due to its relatively poor condition.

Crescent Link to be resurfaced outside fire station within six months

A public consultation on the North West Transport Plan 2035, which is critical to progress on the paused A2 Buncrana Road dualling scheme, is now expected to be launched next summer.

Transport plan crucial to A2 Buncrana Road widening pushed back to summer 2025

Minister Gordon Lyons marked the announcement of the Housing Supply Strategy at Stormont with co-signatories Seamus Leheny (Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Association), Nicola McCrudden (Homeless Connect), Justin Cartwright (Chartered Institute of Housing Northern Ireland), Grainia Long (The Northern Ireland Housing Executive), and Mark Spence (Construction Employers Federation).

Derry housing expert Kate McCauley calls for increased funding in 2025/26

Sinn Féin MLA Ciara Ferguson and SDLP MLA Mark H. Durkan.

Calls for homelessness action with thousands affected as Christmas approaches

Derry pensioners no longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) are to receive a one-off fuel support payment of £100 between now and March.

Derry pensioners hit by Winter Fuel Payment cuts to get one-off £100

Local MLAs Ciara Ferguson and Mark H. Durkan.

Unadopted sites in Derry/Strabane up from 80 to 147 (59%)

P3 pupils and staff from Holy Family Primary School pictured with Derry City’s Paul McMullan and Conor Barr during their visit to the school on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: George Sweeney

Closure of section of A5 averted with 25,000 Derry City FC fans heading south

Derry & Strabane remains the North’s temporary accommodation hotspot with spending on exceeding emergency housing in the district exceeding £6.5 million over the last financial year.

Derry/Strabane is crisis housing hotspot with £6.5m spent in 2023/24
Derry & Strabane remains the North’s temporary accommodation hotspot with spending on exceeding emergency housing in the district exceeding £6.5 million over the last financial year.
Kevin Mullan

The legendary Jobby's Sports Centre in Pennyburn

‘Jobby’ Crossan’s legendary Derry sports shop is up for sale

Depaul’s Foyle Haven service has seen user visits increase year-on-year and in 2023 saw 11,404 user visits, almost double that of the previous year.

Lyons cites limited budget when asked to secure funding for Foyle Haven

John O’Dowd has said he is unable to give timeframe for the completion of the Newbuildings to Strabane section of the A5, telling MLAs a public inquiry may be required for the northernmost section of the road.

O’Dowd unable to give completion date for Newbuildings to Strabane section of A5

The Housing Executive offices at Richmond Chambers.

NIHE focused on reducing emergency accommodation placements in Derry

The application process for large scale events at Ebrington has been adapted to allow for longer lead-in times and make it easier for promoters to book acts.

Ebrington concert application process tweaked to allow longer lead-in times

Chris Kerr, manager of Men's Action Network (MAN), which is based in Derry.

Mike Nesbitt not able to engage Executive on funding for Men’s Action Network

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt

10% suicide reduction nothing to celebrate says Nesbitt

Chris Kerr, manager of Men's Action Network (MAN), which is based in Derry.

Closure of Men’s Action Network due to funding raised by MLAs at Stormont

A Derry ratepayer has applied for a reduction in their rates due to the prolonged closure of Foyle Street to facilitate works by NI Water, it’s emerged.

Foyle Street ratepayer applies for reduced rate due to prolonged closure

Joe McGinnis, Managing Director of the Braidwater Group, said: “The Cashel is our biggest ever investment in terms of time and money, so to be told in July that NI Water is unable to fund the £15m upgrades at Coshquin Pumping Station required to press ahead with this project is hugely disappointing.

Derry developer calls for review of sewer funding with 5,300 new homes held up

5,300 housing units in Derry/Strabane won’t proceed without sewerage investment

5,300 housing units in Derry/Strabane won’t proceed without sewerage investment
Over 5,000 housing units in the pre-planning enquiry process in Derry & Strabane will not be able to connect to the sewerage system without upgrade works.
Kevin Mullan

Mark H. Durkan has raised Derry & Strabane’s relatively poor mobile coverage describing it as the ‘worst in the UK’ and even weaker than in the Shetland and Scilly isles.

Durkan laments Derry & Strabane’s ‘worst in UK’ mobile phone coverage

Tony and Sabrina Edgar with a photo of their beloved son Jack.

Durkan hails ‘courage and commitment’ of Edgar family at Stormont

The Men's Action Network has been providing support in Derry for decades.

Durkan calls for urgent funding for ‘life-saving’ Men’s Action Network

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 8th January 2022 -

Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

Durkan criticises a ‘lackadaisical’ response on holiday hunger

The Derry rail line.

O’Dowd: Work has started on 55,000 sleepers and recruitment for rail upgrade

Mark H. Durkan told MLAs this week that the ‘state of health’ in Derry is ‘not like Beirut: it is worse’.

Durkan says ‘state of health’ in Derry is ‘not like Beirut: it is worse’

Defective blocks at a house in Donegal

Council asks Department for Communities to consider defective blocks redress

DfI Roads are to clean up footpaths on Westway in Creggan from the Rosemount roundabout to the Ráth roundabout in the heart of Creggan following lobbying from Foyle MLA Mark H. Durkan.

DfI agrees to clean-up Westway footpaths after overgrowth raised by Durkan

Mark H. Durkan

NI Water has not identified need for Foyle Road sewer investment

Flooding at Ivy Mead in 2017.

Durkan says it is ‘unacceptable’ Drumahoe flood plans are still at design phase

Groarty Road

DfI agrees on need to reduce speed on Groarty Road after site inspection

The A5

Durkan asks if ‘strings attached’ to Dublin’s £88.5m for A5

The A6

Officials and contractor in discussions about signing off on A6 road project

Mark H. Durkan

Durkan: Derry homeless being passed on motorway by people sent from Belfast

North West Teachers’ Centre

Givan guarantees future of NW Teachers’ Centre in Derry

Robin Swann

New staff and triage improves Western Trust adult mental health position

Craigavon Bridge

DfI does not keep a record of lorries getting stuck in Craigavon Bridge

Flags and banners on a large bonfire to mark the Catholic Feast of the Assumption in the Galliagh area in 2021. Picture date: Sunday August 15, 2021.

Over £13k spent cleaning-up after Galliagh August 15 bonfire in five years

Cars lining the street along narrow Aberfoyle Crescent South last October.

Magee residents parking may be considered once Holylands lessons appraised

A computer generated image of the Buncrana Road

Consultation on transport plan crucial to Buncrana Road to take place in May

The Newbuildings MOT test centre.

76% hike in missed Derry MOT test appointments

A mechanic examining a car.

Campsie MOT centre will help ease long waiting times for tests, says Durkan

Road markings are to be refreshed at the junction of the Whitehouse Road, Upper Galliagh Road and Buncrana Road.

Road markings at busy junction on main Derry thoroughfare to be repainted

New figures obtained by SDLP MLA Mark H. Durkan show of 389 waits for appointments with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in the Western Trust at January 31, 271 (70 per cent) were for in excess of nine weeks.

70% of children waiting for mental health assessment waited over nine weeks

Work underway on the A6 last year.

Mobuoy dump a ‘huge problem’ as DfI tries to progress last stretch of A6: O’Dowd

The number of children and adults waiting for an autism assessment in the Western Trust more than doubled over the past five years, the Health Minister Robin Swann has revealed.

Number waiting for autism assessment doubles in Western Trust in five years

At one point last month 683 people were waiting for a domiciliary care package in the Western Trust with 3.8 per cent of those waiting in a hospital.

683 waiting for domiciliary care package in Western Trust

The Meenan Square site in the heart of the Bogside.

Meenan Square development now scheduled to start in Spring 2025