Resurfacing works at Derry City Cemetery to begin imminently - councillors told

Derry City and Strabane District Council say resurfacing works at City Cemetery will begin imminently.

During April’s Environment and Regeneration Committee meeting Sinn Féin councillor Emma McGinley said council has been have been ‘very, very slow’ to implement plans to resurface roads and paths at the cemetery.

Last June £300,000 was allocated for resurfacing work at cemeteries across the district, and at last October’s Environment and Regeneration Committee meeting council’s Head of Environment, Conor Canning, told members that resurfacing work at the City Cemetery, as well as Ballyoan and Strabane cemeteries, would begin as soon as tendering and procurement processes were carried out.

At April’s Committee meeting, councillor McGinley asked for an update on the works, specifically at City Cemetery, as she had been ‘inundated by phone calls over the past couple of weeks’, with constituents asking when they were due to start.

“I know that because of the weather the potholes and everything there has become increasingly worse,” she added. “ I’m also aware that it was last year’s rates process that we approved the budget for that and it just seems to be a very, very slow process.

“With cemeteries being so close to people’s hearts, people want to be able to go and not be worried about losing the alloy of their car, so can we get an update on where that’s at and when we can expect that resurfacing work to happen, please?”

Mr Canning said all tenders had now been returned and they will be evaluated in the next week-to-ten days.

“As soon as that’s complete, we’ll be able to make an award and progress with the works as soon as afterwards,” he concluded.