CRAM opposes Rosemount Factory 100-bed student accomodation

The decision by Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Governance and Strategic Planning Committee (GSPC) to defer a decision on the proposed redevelopment of Rosemount Factory has been welcomed by a local residents’ group.

The Concerned Residents Around Magee (CRAM) campaign said it was “now calling for meaningful consultation with local residents before any further decisions are taken”.

The group also announced it is hosting a public meeting at 7.00pm, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 in Brooke Park to discuss the plans for the Rosemount Factory.

Endorsement of the proposed redevelopment of Rosemount Factory, including accommodation for 100 students, will be discussed at Full Council on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. 

CRAM said it believed there had not been enough public consultation on the plans for how the factory might be developed and urged people to have their say at the public meeting.  

"What happens to the factory will impact everyone in Rosemount but especially those living around it. Whatever your views come along and make your voice heard."

It has also “strongly disputed the suggestion there is widespread local support for the proposal to house up to 100 students in the redeveloped building.

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Plans for the £5 million redevelopment of Rosemount Factory, including the incorporation of 100-bed student accommodation, were presented to the GSPC on March 3 by Foyleside Developments Limited. 

The Committee was told that Glen Development Initiative (GDI) was the lead partner in the community consultation around the future of the Factory, in partnership with The Village Hub and Ballymagroarty Hazelbank Community Partnership.

Councillors Brian Tierney (SDLP) and Shuan Harkin (PBP) voiced concerns about the project and a decision on Council endorsing it was deferred until Full Council on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

Speaking to The Derry News, a spokesperson for CRAM said: “There has been insufficient public debate about the development plans. In addition, the proposal to include accommodation for up to 100 students was not clearly communicated to the community.

“Most of the people we have spoken to in the Rosemount area were unaware that the redevelopment proposal included student accommodation,” added the spokesperson.

“The suggestion by GDI that there had been extensive community engagement is not reflective of the views of local residents.

“Some of the meetings that took place were ‘invite-only’ rather than open to the public and were heavily attended by staff from partner organisations, which created an imbalance between local representatives and project representatives.

“The decision to include accommodation for students - a largely transient population - appears to have been taken later without this being clearly communicated to the community.

“CRAM would strongly dispute the suggestion that there is widespread local support for the proposal,” said the spokesperson, who added that CRAM has also raised questions about the status of the steering group which was previously referenced as part of the redevelopment process.

“In reality, residents have received little information about whether the steering group is still active or what role it has played in shaping decisions,” said the CRAM spokesperson.

“We would argue that the proposal runs contrary to the Magee Taskforce’s aim that purpose-built student accommodation should be located in or near the city centre. CRAM would ask why this commitment is not being delivered.

“We also believe the development would add to existing pressures in the Rosemount area, which already accommodates around 80% of the city’s HMO (houses in multiple occupation).

“In the context of an ongoing housing crisis, CRAM believes, prioritising accommodation for ‘transient residents risks further destabilising an already pressured residential community.

“The redevelopment of Rosemount Factory could generate income through a variety of alternative uses that would better support a stable, long-term residential population, rather than further concentrating student accommodation in the area,” said the CRAM spokesperson.

Cllr Shaun Harkin said the claim made during the GSPC meeting that the redevelopment proposals for Rosemount Factory had the backing of SDLP MLAs had not yet been confirmed.

He added that it was a minority (80 out of 700) of those who participated who said they wanted student accommodation in the Factory.

“But this is not the only issue,” added Cllr Harkin. “The owners of the Factory will be handed more than £1 million in profit if the Sinn Féin proposal goes through. That will come from public money, just as the £1.3 million for the Austins’ building did.

“GDI plans to set itself up as a landlord using the ‘profits’ from the students to buy houses.

“I think it is a serious issue for politically aligned and publicly funded community groups to become housing landlords, making decisions about who will get house and who won’t in the middle of a housing scarcity crisis, which is only getting worse because of Stormont failure.

“To justify this they have been running down social housing. I would have expected community groups to be leading the charge for building more social housing and private rental regulation, not running down the Housing Executive.

“There is also the issue of gatekeeping community assets. The examples of this are everywhere, with people feeling and being excluded from access and support. This should not be allowed to happen with the iconic Rosemount Factory.”

The Derry News contacted the Glen Development Initiative for comment. At the time of publication, none had been received.