Plan for a new Newbuildings

A number of currently derelict sites in the village will also be revamped if the plans are fully implemented.

The ‘Dam Row’ site where London’s Goldsmiths originally settled in Newbuildings is ironically now scrubland but under the plan it is seen as the primary catalyst of the regeneration programme.

The new action plan provides for a new cricket pitch, a new Multi Use Games Area (MUGA), a new village green, a new formal civic space and the redevelopment of the former Desmonds factory and the former Irish Agricultural Wholesale Society Ltd (IAWS) site amongst other potential development sites.

It identifies a range of deliverable initiatives to facilitate economic, environmental, physical and social improvement to the village over a 15 year period.

Produced on behalf of Assisting Rural Communities (ARCNW) by the Paul Hogarth Company in consultation with the local community the plan should not - its authors insists - be viewed as a “finite blueprint for development” but does provide an ambitious vision for the future of the village.

Newbuildings, Park and Lettershandoney are just three villages across the North West bidding for £190,000 under the ARCNW renewal fund and yesterday Derry City Council’s Development Committee agreed to set aside £20,000 from its 2012/13 Economic Development Plan to facilitate support for whichever three villages are eventually successful.

Its six overarching aims are environmental improvement; improved transport infrastructure; village centre development; improved transport and mobility; a new leisure and recreation hub; and the raising of the profile of Newbuildings.

The plan suggests effectively creating a new village centre including a civic space, a village green and a new mixed use perimeter block.

The Dam Row site at the corner of Duncastle and Victoria Road will be “the primary catalytic project within the Action Plan.”

“If realised this site has major potential to unlock substantial benefits for both residents and visitors alike,” it says.

The site will include a perimeter block with central parking with an emphasis on “animated mixed uses” along Duncastle Road and Victoria Road; a new formal civic space within the heart of the village; and an official village green.

The envisaged timeframe for the project is short-term and will be privately funded within a five year timeframe for delivery.

Whilst the Dam Row site is classed as the “primary catalyst” for development the former IAWS site is classed as “the largest of the opportunity sites in Newbuildings.” Due to its substantial size a comprehensive masterplan should be produced for it, the plan states.

The former Desmonds factory and a row of vacant properties on the Victoria Road opposite the Dam Row site are also targeted for private development over the next fifteen years.

Equally, the development of a new sports hub centring on Newbuildings Youth and Community Centre also forms part of the exciting new proposals. The action plan projects a new MUGA pitch to be developed within five years.

The authors identified a need in the short-term for a second sports pitch and as a result the Action Plan includes proposals for a new MUGA near the community centre which will provide “passive surveillance enabling younger users to utilise the facility safely.”

The new cricket pitch is a longer term goal and will take up to a decade to be realised.

“In direct response to feedback received from the community consultation workshop, a further opportunity exists in the medium-term to acquire additional adjoining lands to the north east of Community Centre for the establishment of a dedicated cricket pitch,” the report states.

The plan also proposes sorting out the problem of “rat-running” on Foyle Crescent with the introduction of community designed traffic calming measures; the refurbishment of Villa’s Inn; a new “park-and-choose facility;” new gateways marking arrival; an improved setting at Newbuildings Methodist Church; a new walkway along the Foyle; moorings near the ‘Point;’ and the development of pedestrian routes linking residential areas, historical sites and new amenities.