There has been a call for “urgent action” to be taken to get the youth facilities opened up again in the grounds of Immaculate Conception College in the Waterside area of Derry.
The call comes from local Sinn Fein Councillor Christopher Jackson.
During the summer the building was partially damaged in a fire.
Cllr Jackson said essential repairs were being carried out to bring the facility up to fire safety standards and that he had been in contact with the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) over a number of weeks who had assured hime the repair work being carried out had been “prioritised.”
Cllr Jackson added: “The reality on the ground is that sporting groups such as Top of the Hill Celtic and Na Piarsaigh Doire Trasna as well as the youth club rely on these facilities and haven’t been able to start up since the summer break.”
Cllr Jackson claimed the “whole community” was suffering as a result, with children eager to get back to training after the holidays.
He added: “There is now a real danger that the local clubs could potentially suffer as the children start to go elsewhere.
“And then there is the added expense of transport to get to other area of the city.
For an area with a very young population, youth facilities are essential and coming into the dark nights there is a real danger that a gap in youth provision could lead to an increase in antisocial behaviour.”
Clr Jackson concluded: “I would like to praise the work of youth workers who are currently forced to take children out of the area to run any programs, and I would like to ask parents to be patient as we hope to have the situation resolved as soon as possible.”
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