Draft Masterplan for Fort George, Derry, unveiled

The Ilex Regeneration Plan for Derry~Londonderry, launched in December 2005, is a direct response to the Ministerial call to create and promote a deliverable vision for the regeneration of the Derry City Council area, to secure the commitment of all stakeholders to that vision and to pursue single-mindedly its implementation. The Regeneration Plan states that “the vision for the long term future of Fort George with its close proximity to the Knowledge Corridor is a prestige technology and/or knowledge intensive park. This may include a mix of office, education, research activities together with residential and leisure use.”

Owned by the Department for Social Development, former military base Fort George is a brown field site situated on the Strand Road on the outskirts of the city. It is a flat 14 acre site with a 300 metre waterfront overlooking the River Foyle. From 1830s until 1924 the site operated as a shipyard and closed due to the Depression. From 1941 – 45 it served as the ship repair yard for all Allied ships berthed in the city after which time the site was again closed. In the 1970s the former shipyard became an army base and was first known as Fort George. The base ceased to exist in 2001 and the site was purchased by the Department for Social Development (DSD) in 2005.

The natural assets of Fort George, principally its superb views across the Foyle to St Columb’s Park, make it a site with tremendous potential.

In October 2007 Ilex appointed McAdam Design, in association with a multidisciplinary team to prepare a draft Masterplan for consultation on the former military site of Fort George set within the vision of the Ilex Regeneration Plan. The draft Masterplan for Fort George was unveiled on December 6th, kickstarting a two-month public consultation process ending on February 8th 2008.