About the applicant & development team

  • The development is being taken forward by The Executive Office (TEO)’s Urban Villages Initiative, with Apex Housing Association (Apex) and Meenan Square Developments Ltd.

    The project will be primarily funded by The Executive Office, supported by Apex and the Department for Communities. Apex will act as the project delivery partner, with Meenan Square Developments Ltd acting as the project promoter.

  • In September 2016, The Executive Office (TEO) officially launched the Urban Village Strategic Frameworks, with one of the five frameworks relating to Derry-Londonderry. Each Framework was shaped by extensive community engagement which identified the specific challenges and strengths within each area. Strategic actions have been identified for each UV area and specific projects and programmes are being progressed with key delivery partners and communities.

    The proposal identified the creation of a multifaceted Good Relations ‘Village’ where the critical theme of inclusion provides opportunities for everyone to fully access a shared, accessible, safe and welcoming space for community benefit.

    The UV Initiative is a headline action within the NI Executive’s Together Building a United Community (TBUC) strategy. Overseen by TEO, the Urban Villages Initiative is designed to improve good relations outcomes and develop thriving places where there has been a history of deprivation and community tension. The Executive agreed the following commitments in respect of Priority 2, “Our Shared Community”:

    • To address all barriers that prevent or interfere with shared space, and ensuring that all individuals can safely live, learn, work and play wherever they choose

    • To build community confidence and work with local representatives to address the underlying issues, attitudes and mind-sets that have the potential to perpetuate division.

    • Ensure that good relations considerations are at the heart of the development of new service delivery models so that we can encourage greater sharing, build trust and maximise opportunities for reconciliation.

    • Ensure that all Government contracts for work at interface areas and areas of contested space contain a social clause that provides training and employment opportunities and those members of the local populations will be able to apply for these opportunities.

    This project provides an opportunity to develop a project within a deprived area that increases opportunities for young people to play. It keeps with the Programme for Government (PfG) framework and has three inter-connected aims:

    1. To foster positive Community Identities

    2. To build Community Capacity

    3. To improve the Physical Environment

    In achieving these aims a key mechanism will be aligning and influencing investment. In practice, this will mean:

    • Co-ordinating and aligning effort across NICS Departments, local Councils and community organisations to deliver good relations outcomes;

    • Identifying and building on what is working, in recognition that sustainable change requires investment in both social (people and communities) and physical assets;

    • Exploring ways of investing and trying new approaches which stimulate private investment and economic activity.

  • Apex Housing Association (Apex) provides and maintains around 7,000 high-quality homes and delivers support to over 16,000 tenants and residents across Northern Ireland. Its business is housing and associated care and support services, and from tiny beginnings more than half-a-century ago in Derry~Londonderry, Apex has grown into a substantial organisation with a geographical base throughout Northern Ireland. As a not-for-profit housing association, the organisation works to social enterprise principles and employs more than 600 staff.

  • Meenan Square Developments Ltd is a company limited by guarantee and will be responsible for the running of the inclusive community hub at Meenan Square, following the construction period. The development will comprise of a wide range of services and facilities for community benefit such as flexible community exhibition/cultural space, a welcoming civic square for events and activities, retail units, offices, meeting/training rooms for community use, a multi-use hall, youth facilities and accommodation for a range of organisations providing vital community services, guidance and support.

  • Derry City and Strabane District Council will play several roles as the project progresses.

    Planning

    The detailed planning application will be submitted to Derry City and Strabane District Council Planning Department. In their role as the statutory planning authority the planning department will manage the statutory planning process and determine the planning application.

    Wider Council (Non-planning role)

    The Council, including elected reps for the area, will also be kept up to date throughout the development.

  • Meenan Square has been proposed to represent a transformational project for the Derry~Londonderry Urban Villages Area which aims to deliver significant community benefits and deliver a lasting legacy within an area of considerable need.

    Based on the Urban Villages Outlay set out above, the proposed project complements the objectives set out in a number of regional and local strategy documents, including, Derry~Londonderry Framework Document. These include:

    • Collaborative working and Community shared space/ Good Relations Village– the project involves collaborative working to redevelop a dilapidated and derelict site to create a vibrant energised shared community space accessible to all;

    • Revitalise the area – the project involves the re-development of an iconic site with a deep local history which locals can be proud of once more. This will enable neighbourhoods to feel connected to the space and promote the area as a place where people want to live, work, visit and invest. A place where people want to spend quality time;

    • Increased entrepreneurship and employment opportunities - increased business activity and promote a confident community, through provision of commercial / social enterprise units to provide shops, services and amenities for the wider community and create employment opportunities;

    • Housing - provision of social housing designed to improve the lives of the local community and contribute to addressing the key housing needs; and

    • Good relations - improve relations between and within communities through the elimination of a location currently better known for criminal activity and associated with anti-social behaviour.

  • The project will be primarily funded by The Executive Office, supported by Apex Housing Association and the Department for Communities.

About the proposals

  • The site is located at Meenan Square, in the heart of the Bogside in the city of Derry. The site area totals approx. 0.5 hectares.

  • The development will comprise three main zones as follows:

    A fully shared and inclusive community hub comprising a wide range of services and facilities for community benefit such as flexible community exhibition/cultural space with provision for hospitality facilities, a welcoming civic square for events and activities, meeting/training rooms for community use, multi-purpose space for sports/events/training for community use, children and youth facilities, and accommodation for a range of experienced organisations providing vital community services, guidance and support.

    Access to essential services which will breathe life back into a declining community.

    Essential social housing units to meet identified housing need (through a separate local planning application by Apex).

  • The proposed Meenan Square ‘Village’ aims to:

    • Create a thriving beacon of sharing, tolerance and good relations within Derry~Londonderry where there was previously vacancy, dereliction and a symbol of conflict and division;

    • Transform the social narrative and connotations associated with Meenan Square and the wider Derry~Londonderry UV area;

    • Deliver a fully shared, welcoming and iconic symbol of integration and collaborative working;

    • Provide a multifaceted lifelong and holistic community support facility;

    • Bring the Derry~Londonderry community together, building trust and relationships and building their capacity regardless of their abilities, community background, age of ethnicity;

    • Give local people a voice and instilling a shared sense of positive community identity and civic pride;

    • Engage young people and children, to promote inter-community and inter-generational links and reduce segregation;

    • Challenge stereotypes of one’s own and other communities/identities;

    • Contribute to reconciliation through capacity support, dialogue, creativity, cultural, commemoration, housing, access to services as well as through the promotion of tolerance and respect;

    • Bring an historically and culturally significant ‘square’ back into sustainable long-term use for the benefit of the local and surrounding communities; and

    • Build a strong civil society that encompasses all communities promoting a rights-based society, political stability and respect for all.

  • To provide a holistic, one stop-shop of lifelong support ranging from children, through youth interventions, direct capacity support and guidance for all, direct and indirect employment for people of working age, intergenerational cultural and arts programmes, events and activities, access to essential services and housing for those in need, with an associated public realm improvement throughout the site.

About the site (Site Context)

  • The site is located to the east of Meenan Square, north of Durrow Park, west of Lecky Road and south of Westland Street in Derry~Londonderry.

    The Urban Village area in Derry~Londonderry comprises the Bogside, Fountain and Bishop Street. The Meenan Square project site will serve people living within the core Urban Village area and its wider area.

  • The current site of the Meenan Square shops has a long history as a social space for the people of the Bogside and other nearby neighbourhoods.

    The site was made up a range of units within a wider residential area. The complex was split into two blocks and was sold by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) to a private investor in 2002.

    The units were approximately 50 years old and in a poor condition. The overall site had become a focal point for anti-social behaviour over recent years.

    In 2022 the site was cleared, and the blocks were demolished to allow for the future development of the site.

  • The current proposals do not include a bar on the site, and it is not anticipated that a bar will be brought forward on the site as part of the application.

Design

  • The design concept was prepared in line with the development brief provided by Apex and The Executive Office.

    The proposal has evolved as a result of site analysis and assessment of the planning and design context.  The proposed development responds to the site location and context, its characteristics, attributes and constraints; and complies with relevant policy and design guidance.

Community Hub

  • It is anticipated that once constructed, Meenan Square Developments Ltd will manage and operate the community hub (including facility management for all organisations) as well as managing the leasing of the units which will provide the essential services.

    Several organisations have expressed an interest in renting office accommodation within the proposed development. A range of other organisations have also expressed an interest in using facilities such as meeting rooms, multi-function event space, training rooms, civic square etc.

    The redeveloped community facilities at Meenan Square will significantly enhance the provision of services by three organisations/programmes which are currently operating out of the existing dilapidated on-site premises:

    • Dove House is a community group providing advice services; youth-based projects; accredited training courses; and counselling. New facilities at Meenan Square will support more clients and provide a safe, welcoming and shared space to support communities spanning the interface area;

    • Youth First is a local community youth club based within Meenan Square. New facilities will almost double capacity enabling organisations to offer more programmes and expand on their current programmes;

    • Women’s Hub focuses on a range of services aimed at personal development and addressing social issues within the community. This includes training programmes and an advocacy and support project tackling domestic violence. The new facilities will increase provision and offer a wider variety of services for more people and ensure access for people with disabilities.

  • The plans will provide a bespoke and fit for purpose community hub to enhance the ability of experienced and complementary organisations to deliver community programmes, advice, guidance and support.

    The Hub will seek to create a blend of organisations across a range of essential areas/groups of need within society such as provision of advice, employment support, educational and social development programmes, youth programmes, support for people with illness/disabilities, and support for ethnic minority communities.

    In addition, community space i.e. training rooms, meeting rooms, sports/multi-purpose hall will be available for all groups within the local community.

    The community exhibition/cultural/heritage space and outdoor courtyard/civic square will provide a unique, flexible and welcoming area where all groups within the local community could meet and host a dynamic calendar of community initiatives and events.

New Homes

  • A separate local application will be lodged on behalf of Apex Housing Association to deliver the social residential element on the site. The local application will seek to deliver 8 social homes on the site.

  • The proposed social homes include four 3-person 2-bed houses and four 5-person 3-bed houses; delivered through a mixture of detached, semi-detached and terrace dwellings.

    The social housing will be delivered and managed by Apex Housing Association.

  • Allocations will be made by Apex Housing Association following the rules of the Common Selection Scheme. Anyone wishing to be considered for these homes, should contact their assessing landlord to ensure their details and circumstances are up to date and that they are on the correct waiting list.

Public Realm and Amenities

  • Through the proposal of the provision of units, residents and the community will have access to essential services (shop & pharmacy) as well as associated employment opportunities.

  • The public realm in the scheme will incorporate pockets of soft and hard landscaping which will be accessible to the wider community in addition to an external community courtyard/civic square.

Transport and Access

  • There will be improved vehicular and pedestrian access onto Durrow Park at the south of the site, with all proposals in line with the Department for Infrastructure adoptable roads standards.

    Pedestrian access and movement will be significantly improved through the provision of additional crossing points, raised tables and general pedestrian priority features. Pedestrians will be filtered through the site, into and through the public spaces /civic square. This will facilitate tourism walks, frequent site users and the general pedestrian movements associated with this area.

  • In total, 31no. parking spaces with 1no. loading bay will be provided as part of the proposed development at Meenan Square. The community and commercial aspect of the development will have a total of 20 parking spaces and 1no. loading bay provided.

    This will be delivered as follows:

    • 2no. wheelchair accessible parking spaces along Lecky Road to facilitate stop off to the shops

    • 18no. mix of standard and wheelchair accessible parking spaces at Meenan Square

    A total of 11no. spaces will be provided for the residential aspect of the development, comprising 6no. private in-curtilage spaces serving the proposed homes, and 5no. communal shared spaces across the site.

  • Bus services - Bus services run along the Lecky Road on the Creggan route, both to and from the city centre, promoting the use of public transport.

    Taxis – Taxi stands can be found in numerous points within the city centre.  For future tenants or members of staff, the site is highly accessible for dropping off or picking up.  Lecky Road and Westland Street are two of the main routes to wider residential areas within the city.

    The site is highly accessible when travelling by foot as a result of good infrastructure in the surrounding area with footpaths which are of a good standard. Safe and easy access by foot to and from the site, particularly from surrounding residential areas, reduces the need for vehicle movements on the surrounding road network. The site is located in proximity to the central area of Derry city.

    Within the site, footpaths and paving will be provided to allow safe & convenient access for pedestrians. Cycle movements to the site will be accommodated along with bicycle stands. The site has been designed to accommodate those with mobility impairments through the provision of disabled parking, level access and gradients and meeting DDA building compliance requirements.

Planning and Delivery

  • The application is anticipated to be submitted to Derry City & Strabane District Council (DCSDC) later in 2024 or early in 2025.

  • The construction timeline is subject to planning permission being granted.

Consultation and Feedback

  • As the project is considered a ‘major planning application’ we have submitted a proposal of application notice (PAN) to Derry City and Strabane District Council, beginning a period of formal community consultation before a planning application is submitted later this year.

    Feedback received will be analysed and will be used to inform the final planning application. A Pre-application community consultation report will be submitted alongside the planning application.

  • This consultation is open to all members of the public and we welcome feedback from members of the public, neighbouring businesses and elected representatives.

  • There are a number of additional ways you can comment. You can do this by:

    Email: contact@meenansquareconsultation.com

    Online: Completing the online feedback form here or join a live chat on the website (www.meenanquareconsultation.com).

    Consultation Hotline: 0808 1688 296

    Post: Send a letter to: Meenan Square Consultation, Turley, Hamilton House, 3 Joy Street, Belfast, BT2 8LE.

  • Feedback to the pre-application period closes on Friday 19th July 2024. Once the application has been submitted comments can be made to the Derry City and Strabane District Council Planning Department.

  • All feedback submitted will be summarised in a Pre-Application Community Consultation Report which will be submitted alongside the planning application. Personal details will not be shared with a third-party and we will not contact you in relation to any other project or for marketing purposes.

    The information you provide will be stored securely until determination of the planning applications. Following determination, this information will be deleted. Unless you have indicated otherwise, we will not contact you about this development.

  • Ultimately the planning application will be determined by the Derry City and Strabane District Council Planning Committee, comprised of local elected representatives. This decision will follow the statutory planning process whereby all statutory consultees will provide comment on the application. During the process the public will be able to view all information online and comment if they wish.

    The Council’s planning department will make a recommendation to the Derry City and Strabane District Council Planning Committee who then consider the application on its planning merits.