Derry City Football Club could be firing into an open goal with plans for a training facility and youth academy at the city’s Templemore Sports Complex after councillors expressed enthusiasm for the proposal and its pitch perfect timing.
The club sent an enquiry in December about acquiring Derry City and Strabane District Council land close to the leisure complex, which the local authority plans to redevelop in the near future.
At this month’s Governance and Strategic Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday, councillors appeared keen for the proposal to go ahead.
Chief Executive John Kelpie said plans for the training facility could potentially be accommodated within the overall masterplan for Templemore “without compromising the ambition of Council”.
Mr Kelpie clarified: “The majority of the site is in freehold owned by council [and] the area under discussion with Derry City is on a long lease of 999 years.
“There is a restrictive covenant that states that the land must be used for ‘the purposes of constructing and erecting thereon playing fields and other sports and recreational facilities for the enjoyment of the public and for no other purposes’, so any development at the site by Derry City may require an amendment of this covenant.”
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Mr Kelpie clarified that Tuesday’s report was “in no way a binding decision”, and was merely seeking members’ authority for officers to further engage with Derry City and bring forward a report on how the facility could be accommodated “within the broader master-planning of the site’.
SDLP councillor Brian Tierney said the proposals only serve to enhance the Council’s redevelopment plans and aspirations for Templemore, which lies within his District Electoral Area of Ballyarnett, while being a “very exciting opportunity for Derry City”.
He added:” Derry City is growing in terms of their their fanbase and having the facilities to nurture talent is vital.
“Having that at Templemore, and for me having that in Ballyarnett, is a major factor, so we’re happy that the council [will] continue with their engagement with the club.
“There’s lots of detail to go through; legal aspects and design, development and all of that, but this is something that we should be endorsing wholeheartedly.”
Sinn Féin councillor Sandra Duffy agreed that the request was “really exciting ” and complements the Council’s plans for the complex.
“We should be doing everything that we can to support Derry City,” She added. ”And we have seen the impact that the club’s success energises us and motivates the city.”
“We have a huge amount of talent and we should be doing everything that we can to enhance that talent.
“I do believe that Templemore is moving forward and I believe that this will be a huge compliment to whatever we do as a council on the site.”
UUP councillor Derek Hussey said any “progressive club” needed a successful academy, while independent councillor Gary Donnelly said the club had provided this city and district with “a sense of pride throughout decades”.
People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin concurred that council “should do everything we can to progress the academy and help Derry City reached their ambitions”.
Mr Harkin said: “The lack of playing pitches across the district is a huge [issue] and we want to do everything we can to make sure that the development of the academy enhances the situation, where everybody benefits and there are more pitches.”
Mr Kelpie said Derry City’s request had come at a good time, as “nothing is yet fixed in terms of what may go on the site and how the site is organised”.
He concluded: “Sometimes these requests come in at a point in the design where they’re very difficult to accommodate, so the discussions so far have been quite fluid.”
“The master planning work has been working in parallel with the potential facilities that Derry City Football Club might require, so possibly both interests might be able to be accommodated.
“We’re not quite there yet and that’s why we’re seeking the authority to work more closely with Derry City, [but] it’s perfect timing because both sets of proposals are being worked up in parallel.”
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