Work on the provision of a new outdoor seating and dining area on Bishop Street in the city aimed at promoting a pedestrian friendly environment and support local businesses has been completed and unveiled to the public by the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Sandra Duffy.
The works were being carried out under the Covid Recovery Revitalisation Scheme, which is supported by funding from the Department for Communities.
The scheme forms part of a programme of interventions aimed at revitalising town and city centres emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, including environmental and infrastructural improvements as well as a business support plan
As part of the innovative design, a temporary public realm space has been created to enhance the character of Bishop Street, with the creation of new outdoor seating and outdoor dining areas to assist local businesses in the area to attract an increased footfall and more amenities for customers to avail of.
The temporary pilot is in place for an initial trial period of 18 months and forms part of the projects initially launched and consulted on by Derry City and Strabane District Council in 2021 under its Streetlife & Vibrant Places Strategy.
The work on the project took place over the summer period with some minor disruption to businesses, pedestrians and traffic during this period.
Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey said “The funding my Department has made available to councils through the Covid Recovery Revitalisation project continues to help our towns and cities as they continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic.
“The completion of the works at Bishop Street in Derry will provide outdoor dining space where people can safely meet and socialise, increasing footfall and regenerating the area.
“This is one of a number of schemes that has been delivered through my Department’s funding in order to meet local need, support businesses and stimulate much-needed growth for the local economy.”
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Sandra Duffy, welcoming the completion of the work said:
“Bishop Street is a busy and popular business thoroughfare and this work is a really positive way of supporting the businesses in this part of the city centre as they continue their recovery from the extremely challenging pandemic period.
“We hope this investment will not only help instil some confidence back into the city centre and attract greater footfall, but will also reinforce the message around making our city centre more pedestrian friendly within our historic walled city.
“I think it creates a very sociable and friendly space where friends and family can congregate in a safe outdoor environment while supporting local businesses.”
While the works has seen a small number of on-street parking spaces being made temporarily unavailable, the public are reminded there are still in the region of 450 off-street and on street car parking spaces for use in the local vicinity.
Additional accessibility car parking spaces are also available at Bishop Street car park. Anyone with any queries relating to the scheme can contact the team at regeneration@derrystrabane.com
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