Peace cash to buildFoyle birder bridge

The bridge is one part of a new 839,880 euro investment that will also see bird hides installed at Lough Foyle.

Across the border at Lough Swilly 3.5 kilometres of walkway, a timber boardwalk and car parking facilities will also be developed at Inch island to attract birdwatchers to the area.

The project is part of a new roll-out of 1.5m euro in funding for the region. It has been awarded under the European Union INTERREG IVA Programme to three new projects which will be rolled out across the five local authority areas of Londonderry, Limavady, Strabane, Donegal and Magherafelt over the next three years.

The Inch Levels-Lough Foyle Wildlife Project, which has been awarded 839,880 euro to deliver two world-class visitor and recreation attractions at Inch Levels in Donegal and at Lough Foyle, north of Londonderry, over the next 2 years.

The project will develop 3.5 kilometres of walkway, install a timber boardwalk and extend the car parking facilities at Inch as well as installing bird hides and a footbridge at Lough Foyle to enable access to this attractive area.

In addition to this, the project will aim to establish the entire northwest region as a first class birdlife and environmental destination.

The second project is the Renewable Energies Network (REN-NET), which aims to establish a formalised business network for small businesses working in the renewable energy and green economy fields.

This 3 year project, led by Donegal County Council, has been awarded 390,047 euro and seeks to engage small and micro businesses at a cross border level who are employed in this rapidly expanding economic growth area.

The third project involving the NW Construction Industry has been awarded £297,889. This programme to be delivered through Magherafelt District Council will target up to 80 businesses connected to the construction sector to encourage information sharing, cost reduction, sales and innovation.

North West Region Cross Border Group (NWRCBG) Chairperson, Councillor Maeve McLaughlin, welcomed the investment to the region saying that: “These networks will develop programmes of support for small businesses and will encourage companies to work together for mutual benefit.”

“The investment in tourism infrastructure is also welcome and will greatly enhance the product we are able to offer to tourists in the region”, she added.

The NW Region Cross Border Group was established in 1976 and is a partnership of the 5 Councils in the region ie Londonderry, Donegal, Limavady, Magherafelt and Strabane. The Group is funded through the European Union INTERREG IVA Programme and is one of five local authority-led cross-border groups, established to promote cross-border economic development along the border corridor.

For further information on the group or any of these projects, please contact the NWRCBG at: Tel no - 028/048 71370808 or email: [email protected].