Outline planning permission has been approved for the £50 million Strabane Three Rivers Project which has the potential to create up to 1,700 jobs.
The development includes an employment park, a learning campus, a 90-bed hotel, a retail foodstore, a garden centre, petrol filling station, a children’s play area, a sports and wellbeing centre, a river wildlife centre and environmental and access infrastructure.
Giving the project the green light, Minister for the Environment, Mark H Durkan, said he acknowledged that overall there as strong local support for the project and the need for new investment, job creation and the potential for the development to act as a catalyst for further inward investment.
Pat Doherty, Sinn Fein MP for the area, said the announcement was a “massive good news story” and represented the largest ever investment announcement for the west Tyrone/east Donegal area.
He added: “This project will totally transform the stretch between Lifford and Strabane which, for far too long, was a negative symbol of partition, dislocation and conflict to a positive symbol of transformation, re-uniting communities through what amounts to be among the biggest investment and job creation opportunities in this region for generations.
Joe Byrne, West Tyrone MLA, said the announcement signalled the beginning of a “very significant” development for the people of Strabane and the wider District Area in terms of both Job creation and investment opportunities.
He added: “I am delighted that planning approval has been given on this Golden opportunity for Strabane by the SDLP DOE Minister Mark H Durkan, who has listened to the wishes and requests of the Strabane Community who wanted to see this comprehensive development project proceed with strong approval by all the statutory agencies involved.”
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