Plans for housing and community facility at former Derriaghy primary school
A council has been urged to “strike while the iron is hot” on reborn plans for a former Lisburn school.
Derriaghy Primary School closed in 2011 and was sold some 10 years later by the Education Authority to Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council for £450,000.
The sale was finalised in early 2022 with the council’s initial development plans being scrapped. New designs now include a housing association construction of 40 houses and a community facility.
Vice-chair of Derriaghy Village Community Group, Adraina Landa spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, saying: “This will be a massive support for the local community that is in a small rural area with no facilities.
“The difference it will make will be engagement and cohesion within communities and being able to work in partnership with people.
“We have been waiting a long time for this, the school looks the same since it closed. But once the community hub is up and running it will be of the benefit of everyone as it is well needed.
“If it wasn’t for Councillor Craig I don’t think this would have happened, he has been with us from the start to develop this for the community.”
Councillor Jonathan Craig added: “The council has now entered into contractual arrangement for development of the old Derriaghy primary school site.
“A time-scale now needs to be tied down for the future community facility and identify what help and actions will be taken.
“We need to strike while the iron is hot, it would be incredibly useful for all concerned.”