Work has begun on the construction of the new £12 million area at St Columb’s Park in the Waterside area of Derry.
Mayor Cllr Martin Reilly (right) with Eamonn Porter, site engineer for building contractors O’Hare & McGovern, at the site of the new arena.
The new arena will provide a multi-purpose indoor hall with seating capacity of 2,000, designed to host major sports and cultural events, a fully equipped modern fitness suite, a strength and conditioning area, a purpose built sports development and athlete support services area, a 25 metre swimming pool with a moving floor alongside a separate children’s pool and two new outdoor synthetic five-a-side pitches.
Derry Mayor, who visited the site, the development marked a “new era”not only for the Waterside area, but for the whole city and region.
He added: “It will put us on the map in terms of providing state of the art facilities for judo, climbing and wrestling as well as sports development facilities and a dedicated Performance Development Centre including a Strength and Conditioning suite.”
He added it was a “significant” investment by Derry City Council in leisure provision for the public with state- of-the-art facilities for a range of sports.
He added: “I am delighted that the build project is on schedule and on budget and look forward to see the project progress over the coming months.”
The project has been made possible through major funding from Derry City Council with support from Sport NI and Department for Social Development (DSD).
In addition to significant sport and leisure facilities the new arena will also be a permanent venue for cultural, entertainment and commercial events.
The project is expected to open in the spring next year, offering new and improved leisure opportunities for everyone.
Mayor Reilly said the development was one of a number of “exciting” projects across the city currently in the pipeline including number of new hotels, the redevelopment of Brooke Park, a new Science Park at Fort George, the proposed Ebrington Masterplan, the appointment of consultants to look at options for a new Templemore Sports Complex, the Foyle Valley Gateway plan to include the development of the Daisyfield, the riverside park and Brandywell, and a Maritime Museum at Ebrington.
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