Derry hosts major conference on regeneration

Experts in the field of regenerating cities and communities will share their experiences with local people at a major conference at the Millennium Forum in Londonderry.

Sponsored by the Department for Social Development (DSD), the conference, which opens today and continues on Tuesday, will look at how the experience of other countries such as France, Denmark, USA and Great Britain can be applied in Northern Ireland.

Declan O’Hare, Director of DSD’s North West Development Office (NWDO), said: "Derry suffered greatly during the political conflict in Northern Ireland, with over one third of its city centre buildings destroyed. Additionally, it has experienced the problems common to many cities in Western Europe arising from a decline in traditional industries.

"In response to this, the North West Development Office has provided more than £100 million over the last 10 years to fund regeneration projects and community initiatives. This has helped attract private sector investment of over £150million and other large scale public funding.”

Mr O’Hare said the conference provided an opportunity for everyone involved in regeneration in Northern Ireland to learn from the experiences of other regeneration practitioners.

“Hopefully our visitors will go away also having learned something from us,” he concluded.

(MB/GB)