Former Army base to be considered for sale

A former Army base in Londonderry is to be considered for sale.

Decontamination work on the riverfront site is expected to be completed by the end of the year, owners the Department for Communities said.

Expressions of interest are being sought from developers to clarify the private sector’s appetite for investment.

The 15-acre site has already received outline planning permission.

Property consultants Lisney have been appointed to manage the process over the next eight weeks.

Damian Mulholland, director of the Department’s North West Development Office said: “With the remediation of Fort George under way, the department is now moving to test the nature and scale of market interest in the site.

“Given its strategic location adjacent to the A2, for which Department for Infrastructure (DFI) has published road upgrade proposals, the presence of Catalyst Inc, which has sought planning permission for a second building, and an impressive river frontage, we believe the site is ideally placed to deliver lasting social and economic benefits for the city.

“We look forward to receiving suitably ambitious proposals to realise that potential.”

In the case of a positive response, the Department will then proceed with a full marketing exercise to select a purchaser.

The creation of jobs is a key priority for the department in regenerating the site.

The proposals received will be assessed against criteria including job creation.

Fort George was associated with shipbuilding from 1912 and became a Royal Navy base in 1941 for ship repairs.

It was also used as an Army base from 1971 to 2000 before being purchased in 2005 by the Department for Social Development.