New Mayor of Derry and Strabane council Hilary McClintock
THERE was a great turnout this morning for the inaugural meeting of the new city and regional strategic planning body – the Transitional Community Planning Partnership – in the Guildhall.
Local and regional partner organisations were invited by the Mayor to sign up to a new partnership agreement underscoring their commitment to delivering the Community Plan.
The meeting is a significant milestone in the strategic Community Planning process which is being facilitated by Derry City and Strabane District Council.
Local politicians, community representatives, the private sector and statutory agencies took the opportunity to review the next steps in achieving the vision and opportunities as identified in the draft plan.
Welcoming the partners to the meeting, the Mayor thanked them for their commitment to the process and stressed the need to continue cultivating effective partnerships between groups who will work together on behalf of the people of the city and district.
Addressing the meeting Ald. McClintock said: “Having been identified as key statutory and support partners in overseeing the realisation of our commitments in terms of community planning, you have been tasked with assisting in the delivery of our common vision to create ‘A thriving, prosperous and sustainable City and Region with equality of opportunity for all.’
“You will be asked to use your authority, resources and expertise to provide strategic direction and to assist us in achieving collaborative advantage in this North West Region.
“I know there is much work still to be done in achieving the outcomes of our emerging community plan.
“But I am confident that we have a strong foundation to build upon, and the commitment and determination to generate an ambitious, achievable and sustainable framework which will allow us to initiate positive change, economic regeneration and a better future for all our citizens.”
Communication and collaboration were the two key priorities stressed throughout the meeting, and Council Chief Executive John Kelpie gave an overview of the work to date in engaging with local stakeholders, and the progress in producing the draft strategic Community Plan for the area which will go out for consultation in the Autumn.
He highlighted the many benefits of the plan for the city and district in terms of delivering on key urban and rural projects, such as the expansion of Ulster University at Magee, improved transportation infrastructure and networks, enhanced leisure facilities, rural and urban regeneration capital projects, additional play facilities, and community development opportunities.
“The draft strategic community development plan is a very comprehensive document which will set out an exciting 15-year plan for our city and region,” he stated. “We have a committed strategic team involving statutory, political and community representatives representing a broad cross-section of our community who will now take forward the community plan.
“Community Planning is an exciting opportunity and something we all must work at. It will be continually reviewed as by its nature it is dynamic and evolving. We will continue to cascade down the Community Planning into every area with more communications to make people aware of how they can be a part of the process. I want everyone to feel that they can be involved with and get connected to Community Planning.”
Feedback from the floor during the meeting was extremely positive with a range of statutory and community partners praising the achievement of the process to date. But the strong emphasis was also on delivery, and the need to engage with local people at every level throughout the community planning process.
Concluding, the Mayor and Chief Executive both thanked the range of partners for their participation to date and stressed the important role they would play in shaping the dynamic strategy for the region in the months and years to come.
It is expected that the Transitional Community Planning Partnership will now meet twice before the end of the year to approve the draft Community Plan for consultation and to review progress.
Tags: