Council's Ballyarnett land sale goes ahead
Derry arts coordinator 'shocked and devastated'
Derry City and Strabane District councillors have pressed ahead with a land sale in the Ballyarnett area of the city.
The decision has come in spite of an appeal earlier today from the arts director of the Greater Shantallow Community Arts organisation Ollie Green, for the decision be deferred.
Proposed Regional Arts Centre at Ballyarnett Country Park.
There are fears a proposed major regional arts centre in the Ballyarnett area of the city could now be jeopardised by the decision.
Speaking to Derry Now following today's decision, Mr Green said: "If, as we have been led to believe, local councillor Brian Tierney (SDLP) proposed that the land at Ballyarnett Country Park be sold out from under us, we are in a state of shock.
"For the last year or more, Council and ourselves been working on a project to develop a major new regional arts centre in this area, potentially bringing hundreds of jobs into our local community and providing a massive, much needed boost for our community. I just understand this decision given the amount of work we have done with local council and others.
"We are also shocked, obviously, that any local councillor, including someone who only a number of short weeks ago sat is a Ballyarnett Growth Partnership Forum meeting and along with party colleagues and unanimously endorsed our proposal for a new regional arts centre in Ballyarnett Country Park, could make such a proposal.
"To find out today that potentially that land has been sold out of public use into private ownership is something we are very shocked and devastated to hear."
Derry Now has also asked Derry City and Strabane District Council for comment.