Press Release

Public Sector agencies take the lead at regeneration conference

31st October

Public sector agencies in Derry have combined their resources to showcase the city’s regeneration sites at a major conference for developers on October 31st.

The main focus of the conference is retail development and local representatives believe it will present a timely opportunity to profile the range of investment opportunities that exist in the city.

Department of Social Development, Ilex Urban Regeneration Company, and Derry City Council are the main public agencies along with City Centre Initiative participating in the conference promoting a citywide portfolio of potentially hundreds acres of land. Speaking on behalf of partnership agencies, Declan O’Hare Director of the Department for Social Development's North West Development Office said:

“Retail has been identified as a key economic driver in the regeneration of Derry bringing shops, jobs and investment to the city. We want Derry city centre to be on a level with the quality of retail provision enjoyed by similar centres across the UK and Europe.

“The BCSC conference will showcase the opportunities that now exist in Derry to leading investment decision-makers and influencers from the retail, leisure and property sectors. That will be good for business and good for our city”.

Derry City Council area has a competitive pricing offer for investors with property prices quoted lower per square foot compared to other similar size cities throughout the UK and Ireland. The scale of development opportunity is larger now than ever before with hundreds of acres being made available for redevelopment. Growth in the city’s regional appeal to consumers places it as an ideal location for investment. This growth, coupled by the commitment shown by the public sector will bring added confidence to any business decision and ultimately encourage investors to look positively at the potential that exists.

The BCSC Annual Conference & Retail Showcase will take place in Belfast on Monday 31st October to Wednesday 02 November 2005. Derry City Council’s Inward Investment Marketing programme is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme.

Ends

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