PLANS have been submitted for a £100 million housing development in Derry.
The 800-home scheme by South Bank Square at Ballyoan adjacent to Crescent Link and Clooney Road is one of the biggest ever in the city.
If given planning approval, the development is expected to take around 10 years to complete.
The Maghera based firm behind the scheme said that in addition to meeting a demand for homes in the area, an approved application could help deliver upgrades to Caw Roundabout or other road infrastructure.
South Bank Square managing director Seamus Gillan said it was "an exciting urban development that will deliver quality family homes in a neighbourhood environment that will include community, retail and business facilities, as well as new local play areas and public space. We are very pleased to have received extremely constructive and positive feedback in consultation with local residents, and potential home-owners.
“From our consultation with the community we know the importance of addressing traffic issues at this junction, in a manner that will support new homes for the area. Traffic and the roundabout is something we have raised with council and Transport NI during pre-application discussion and have prepared an application that responds to these issues.
“We are not responsible for the existing defects in the road system. However, through collaboration with Transport NI we hope our application for new homes could contribute to a solution.”
Brian Kelly, Director of Turley, lead planner for South Bank Square urged planners and councillors to come to a quick decision on the scheme.
“In recent years there has been a falling back in developers able to deliver the scale of investment, and few that will deliver the quality neighbourhood development we are proposing. The proposals at Ballyoan will deliver standout urban design that addresses how people want to live today and in the future," he said.
“Recent statistics suggest that completions in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area have been slower than elsewhere in Northern Ireland. Our proposed neighbourhood could assist in meeting the demand for family homes, single households and older people. It is therefore important that planners process this application quickly to ensure this demand is met.”
According to NISRA’s 2012 Household Projection figures the population of Derry & Strabane will increase by 8% in the period 2012-2037 from 56,157 to over 60,000. The proposed 800 homes would represent 18% of the housing needed to accommodate the projected growth.
Designs for the Crescent Link/Clooney Road site have been developed alongside local practice ASI Architects.
The outline application submitted today aims to deliver a mix of unit types to accommodate different housing needs; with single houses sitting alongside neighbourhood avenues, luxury apartments and affordable accommodation.
