Contracts signed for major regeneration project in Letterkenny

Contracts for the design and development of the Letterkenny 2040 Strategic Urban Regeneration Site which will include the new Alpha Innovation Centre and Beta Business Centre have been signed.

Donegal 2040 DAC, in partnership with Donegal County Council, have signed a contract with Vincent Hannon Architects for the development of this major regeneration project in Letterkenny which will see the transformational development of town centre lands in the heart of Letterkenny between Pearse Road and Port Road.

The development comprises three main elements: the Alpha Innovation Centre – a seven-storey digital innovation centre with the objective of building a strong innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem enabling businesses, both start-ups and existing, to scale, internationalise and respond effectively to emerging market opportunities and challenges; the Beta Business Centre – an eightstorey business and enterprise building providing state-of-the-art workspace facilities for a range of knowledge-based businesses in the region; and public realm – the installation of high-quality pedestrian/cycle infrastructure enabling easy accessibility through the site, facilitating strong connections between Main Street, Pearse Road and Port Road.

€7.6M

PEACEPLUS funding for Donegal

Donegal County Council has been awarded an indicative allocation of over €7.6m under Theme 1 Building Peaceful and Thriving Communities Investment Area 1.1 PEACEPLUS Codesigned Local Community PEACE Action Plan. This is financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union with match-funding provided from the Executive Office NI and the Department for Rural and Community Development Ireland. PEACEPLUS is a new EU funding programme designed to support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

A new visitor centre documenting the history of Belfast City Cemetery and the people buried within it has opened. The building is a key element of a £2.8m heritage project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Belfast City Council and the Department for Communities. The centre includes an interpretive exhibition, digital touchscreens, interactive features for children, genealogy research workstations and indoor and outdoor educational space for schools and youth groups. Belfast Lord Mayor Cllr Christina Black (pictured with Dr Paul Mullan from The National Lottery Heritage Fund) says, “Belfast City Cemetery opened in 1869, and it is the final resting place of many notable figures including Sir Edward Harland, co-founder of Harland & Wolff; Margaret Byers, suffragist and founder of Victoria College; and Sir William Pirrie, chairman of Harland & Wolff in the Titanic era. Their stories, the history of the cemetery and the wider development of the city of Belfast are all told within the new visitor centre.”