Planning approval for iconic Peace Bridge

Environment Minister Edwin Poots today announced planning approval for the construction of a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the River Foyle in Londonderry.

The Peace Bridge will involve investment of approximately £13.5million and is being funded by the Special EU Programmes Body. The new bridge will be one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Londonderry for almost 40 years.

Speaking after a visit to the site on the banks of the Foyle, Minister Poots said: “This new bridge is very significant for the City and in particular for the local construction sector. Given today’s decision, the estimated completion date for the Peace Bridge is December 2010. The bridge will open up opportunities for development at Ebrington and be another major landmark in this historic city.”

The bridge will link the Walled City Conservation Area to the historic Ebrington site, which includes the Star Fort Schedule monument and a complex of Listed Buildings around the Parade Ground. The Bridge has been designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects who also designed the award winning Gateshead Millennium Bridge, and it will span the River Foyle between the Guildhall to the Parade ground in the former Ebrington Barracks. The project is the first step in a major regeneration programme for the Ebrington site.

The Minister welcomed how efficiently the application was processed and added: “The speed of this decision highlights the value of Pre-Application Discussion with relevant stakeholders. In this case the applicant and their agents engaged in very productive discussions with the Planning Service and a range of Statutory Agencies, prior to the application being submitted on 27 August helping to expedite the application to completion in less than three months.”

Ilex Chief Executive, Aideen McGinley said: “I would like to thank Planning Service for their support, not just for the Peace Bridge, but for the regeneration programme in general. Now that we have secured planning permission we will be able to make a start on the site in the coming weeks. The Peace Bridge will provide a living landmark and lasting legacy for the City and everyone is keen to see construction get underway.”

The bridge will be built by Graham (Dromore), one of Northern Ireland’s largest engineering contractors, who have built some of the most iconic bridges on this island including the Foyle Bridge which opened in 1984.

Notes to editors:

1. Application number A/2009/0684/F – construction of a self anchored suspension bridge. The new pedestrian and cycle bridge will link the city centre at Whittaker Street to the Star Fort wall at Ebrington Embankment within the Ebrington redevelopment site.

2. The Peace Bridge planning application, with its accompanying Environmental Statement, was received by Planning Service on 25 August 2009 and the decision issued on 18 November 2009. The Pre-Application Discussion process was undertaken during the period 28 April to 25 August 2009.

3. The Pre-Application Discussion process was introduced by Planning Service in November 2007, to provide a forum whereby planning officials and key consultees can provide advice and identify key issues at an early stage that need to be considered as part of the application package. The aim is to front load the planning process by encouraging applicants to engage in constructive pre-application discussions, designed to result in good quality planning applications being submitted accompanied by all of the necessary information. This will help to accelerate applications through the statutory planning process and lead to speedier decisions.

4. Northern Ireland’s only Urban Regeneration Company Ilex was set up in 2003 by the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and the Department for Social Development (DSD) to plan, develop and sustain the economic, physical and social regeneration of the Derry City Council area. Ilex’s strategic objectives are:

· To create and promote the coordinated regeneration of the Derry City Council area generally and to facilitate its implementation in cooperation with DSD, other relevant government departments, Derry City Council, the private sector and other interested parties; and

· To secure the economic, social and physical regeneration of the Ebrington and Fort George sites.

5. Owned by OFMDFM, the 26-acre Ebrington is being re-developed by Ilex as a mixed-use site for tourism, arts & culture, commercial, residential and convenience retail. Ebrington was a military base since 1841 when the army constructed a Star Fort (now listed and still largely intact). The Star Fort walls are currently being restored to their former glory. Overlooking the River Foyle, the Parade Ground is the centrepiece of the 1841 Star Fort (scheduled ancient monument). The Parade Ground is being redesigned as a piazza and the listed buildings surrounding it are earmarked for tourism, leisure, arts & culture use.

6. The contract for the design and construction of the Peace Bridge was awarded to Graham, one of the largest engineering contractors in Northern Ireland. The company has brought together a high quality design and construction team comprising of Wilkinson Eyre, London (architects), Faber Maunsell, Newcastle (structural engineers) and Rowecord, Wales (steelwork fabrication). Based in Dromore, Co Down, Graham has built some of the most iconic bridges in Ireland, including Foyle Bridge, Belfast Cross Harbour Road and Rail Bridges and the Dargan Bridge in South Dublin. Bridge architects, Wilkinson Eyre, are best known for the design of the iconic Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

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