Launch of Ebrington Bridge – 8 April 2009

I am delighted to be here today at the launch of another exciting regeneration project for this city.

The River Foyle is one of this city’s greatest natural assets and has been central to the story of Derry’s development and growth since the earliest settlements were established here.

Unfortunately, in more recent times the potential of the river has not been fully realised.  For too many years it was allowed to be a dividing line separating people and communities.  We allowed the city centre to become separated from the river and it suffered as a result.

In response to this there has been recognition of the need to both reintegrate the city centre with the river and reintegrate the city centre as whole.

This new foot and cycle bridge will encourage all the citizens of Derry to have a sense of pride in their city centre and, just as importantly, to move safely through it.  This is therefore bridge building in both its literal and symbolic sense.

I have followed the progress of this project very closely.  I am pleased that my Department has been able to play a central role in moving the bridge from its concept stage to today’s reality – working to secure the required approvals, resolving some very complex legal issues and liaising with colleagues on critical operational issues.

I am also pleased that together with my colleagues in the South we have been able to provide match funding of £3.3 million to support this iconic project.  Together with European Funding of £10 million this represents a substantial investment in Derry that allows the concept of the bridge to become a reality.

The result of a great deal of hard work and cooperation by many people over a long period of time is a bridge that will put a dynamic new structure in the heart of the city.

I want to acknowledge the dedication and creativity of the designers and their partners in producing a bridge that is not only exemplary in terms of its design, but also technically innovative.

On a practical level the new bridge will provide better accessibility to the central area for pedestrians and cyclists through the connectivity to the cycle and walkways along the riverside and beyond that to St Columb's Park and Clooney.  It will, I have no doubt, be attractive to both residents of the city and visitors.

The bridge is of course part of a wider programme of regeneration works underway in the city.  If you take a walk around the centre of Derry you will see the exciting transformation that is underway through the projects that my Department has completed at Newmarket St and the Northern Counties and is now undertaking at Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place.

By the completion date of the bridge in 2010, we will have completed further high quality work at Ebrington allowing both residents of the city and visitors to travel through a very attractive urban environment that does indeed span both sides of the river.

The guiding principles of urban regeneration can be summed up in three words – people places and potential.  We are working collectively and successfully to achieve the full potential of our people and our towns and cities.

Here in Derry regeneration is entering a new and exciting phase that will not only bring the river back into the life of the city but allow both the community and commercial enterprise to prosper together.

And it is another milestone in delivering our vision of a shared future in Northern Ireland.