Army Base To Become Campus

The land, at the former military base in Clooney previously owned by the Department for Social Development, will be transformed into a high quality educational campus. It will house new, purpose built facilities for Foyle and Londonderry College and Ebrington Primary School. This will deliver a key element of the Department's regeneration masterplan for the lands in Derry.

Margaret Ritchie said: "This is fantastic news for the people of Derry City. Transferring this land from my department will deliver significant regeneration, educational and environmental benefits to the people of this city. It will become an integral part of the surrounding neighbourhoods with local people benefiting not just from excellent schools but also from state of the art sporting and recreational facilities.

"By working in partnership across Departments with colleagues in local government, with the schools sector, with the university and of course with local people, we have met the challenge we set ourselves in 2006. That challenge was to maximise the potential of this asset and deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to local people."