Multi-million euro funding secured for new 'indoor dome' in Derry
Over 10 million euros in funding has been secured for a new indoor sports facility in Derry
Over 10 million euros in funding has been secured for a new indoor sports facility in Derry, it has been announced.
The new dome will receive €10.86m of PEACEPLUS funding for the 15,000 square metre year-round indoor arena with synthetic playing field and capacity for thousands of spectators.
The dome is led by Ulster University and will transform the old Foyle College site into a ‘regionally significant and inclusive shared space that will generate significant, meaningful and purposeful contact between different communities’.
A first-of-its-scale facility for Northern Ireland, the Ulster University Dome will transform the old Foyle College site in the city into a shared sporting space equipped with full-size pitches suitable for soccer, Gaelic games and rugby as well as other sports, community and musical events.
With an external perimeter and recreational trail, the dome will be connected to the Ulster University Derry campus and carparking facilities, becoming a hub for community events in the city with space for thousands of spectators inside.
The announcement was made on Monday with the facility being one of six projects successful in their bids for investment through PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
University Provost, Ulster University, Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan said: “At Ulster University we are excited to take the Derry~Londonderry Dome project forward with the help of the PEACEPLUS funding announced this week.
“This facility will be quite literally game-changing in terms of enhancing sporting and community facilities in the city and we are delighted to be expanding our offering for both our students and our neighbours in Derry~Londonderry.”
Welcoming thr announcement Sinn Féin Foyle MLA Padraig Delargy said: “Brilliant news that €10.86 million has been secured for a state of the art sports dome arena on the Northland Road
“This will be delivered in conjunction with Ulster University and is another good news story in continuing the expansion of Magee and ensuring regional balance.”
Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons welcomed the funding.
“It is my ambition to deliver policies and programmes that will have real and meaningful impact, that are sustainable and that will provide tangible, lasting benefits,” he said.
SEUPB chief executive Gina McIntyre said there was a “huge response” to this funding call, which she said demonstrated the public’s appetite and need for shared spaces.
“We have seen from previous peace programmes how shared civic spaces can act as beacons of hope within a community, real catalysts for change and enhanced socio-economic environments,” she said.
“I am delighted that through PEACEPLUS we will be delivering another six transformed and repurposed facilities for people right across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.
“These new facilities will provide places where people can come together, collaborate and engage with one another in a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment.
“They are crucial for peacebuilding and reconciliation.”