A PREVIOUSLY abandoned site in the much sought after Drumahoe area of Derry, left in disrepair after the property crash, has been acquired by established house-building firm Braidwater for an exclusive development of high quality homes.
The transformation of the Ashbrook Court site on the Fincairn Road, formerly named Copperthorpe, will see 35 new contemporary family homes built, as well as the completion of unfinished homes and infrastructure (including drainage works).
The project is part of a wider development plan for the Drumahoe area that will consist of more than 500 new homes and will link to Ashbrook Court, bringing a new lease of life to that part of Derry.
Braidwater managing director Joe McGinnis said: “We took over the site last year and sought to complete and improve on the development to make it a desirable place for everyone to live in.
"The current residents were left with many unresolved issues, and who we would like to thank for their patience and continued support."
He added: “Braidwater has been designing and building high quality family homes in Northern Ireland for more than 40 years, and we are committed to ensuring the development as a whole is a safe environment for everyone.
"We have worked with the statutory authorities to secure road bonds and correct the drainage problems which were causing massive issues for the residents.”
Mayor of Derry City & Strabane District Council Alderman Hilary McClintock said she was delighted to see progress with this development, adding: “I've been working with various agencies in relation to this development for a number of years and I'm pleased to see a positive outcome to the ongoing issues at this site.
"This is fantastic news for Drumahoe. This development will greatly benefit the local economy and is very much in keeping with the Council’s ongoing commitment to support developers from both the social and private housing sectors to create high quality sustainable housing as set out in the Community Plan/Inclusive Growth Plan.”
Meanwhile Choice Housing has begun construction on a new £1.5 million housing development in east Belfast on land adjoining Elmgrove primary school on the Beersbridge Road.
The nine-unit scheme will create a mix of two and three bedroom homes and two apartments.
The new homes were supported by an investment from the Department for Communities with additional private finance provided by the Choice Housing.
Michael McDonnell, group chief executive of Choice Housing said: “It is great to see new housing breathing life back into a site that has laid derelict for too long. This is further boost to east Belfast and efforts to reduce housing waiting lists.”
The new homes were designed by McGirr Architects with construction work being completed by QMAC Construction.
