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Story added by PaddyLynch, 06 February 2009

Its amazing to think that at one stage the people of Derry City were an inspiration to people across the world to mobilise, speak up and change the way their city was run.

Today young people saunter through the week at work in a call centre waiting to get off their head at the weekend. The work is hardly inspirational and we have no cultural or social outlets apart from the pubs. And with all respect to the business people/politicians who brought jobs to the city, there is NOTHING that prevents businesses like call centres, seagate, dupont moving to another city with english speaking highly educated workers. We have to realise that we are part of a global economy and we have to either compete with international locations or create our own homegrown businesses that can do well and will stay in the area.

Derry has to make itself attractive and use the unique features of the city and its people to make people want to invest, live in and visit the city.

The city has an amazing history; from st columba and the churches, the seige walls, WWII, Civil Rights, Free Derry, the troubles and Peace. These should be preserved and presented in a way to make the people proud and bring in tourists from all over. Bring down the fences on the walls, bring a German submarine up from the foyle sit it on the quay, put a famine boat in the river, support the bogside artists, free derry museum and other features that the tourists actually are interested in. I always thought we should keep at least one army look out tower for the craic and tourism. You could show residents and tourists the power of the british surveillance operation when it was here. Just wear it like a scar. FtGeorge might be the least private place to put it. Match tourist interests with budget allocation, everyone goes to Free Derry to see the murals, support it with public money. Derry should be established as a centre for Civil rights and peace and reconciliation. Get someone in Europe to find money to fund conferences, and a centre to host visitors from conflict areas in the world.

If we're going to invite people over we would need to tidy up as well. The city needs to be an enjoyable place to spend time in, not just a place where the shops are. We are in danger of becoming like any UK or Irish high street. We need to make more quiet green spaces in the centre, look at the grass around the tourist board building, full of people hanging about because its not as disgusting as the 1980's benches, busted cobbles, alchos and crap fountain in waterloo place. Put a green roof garden space on every shopping centre and bogging concrete car park for somewhere to go when the foyleside lights hurt your head. The markets are always a crowd pleaser so why not promote them more, encourage more local traders of food,art,crafts etc by subsidising the stall fees for local independent or co-op traders. preserve the lost arts of scone making etc. theres a whole host of cottage industries that could provide craic and income for Derry women(sorry)that could then be sold on the internet to Irish-Americans. look at the success of mission hall quilts.

We need to market ourselves better, Derry doesnt even appear on the map in some NI tourist maps!! We have easily the biggest Halloween festival in Europe, and a serious wealth of musical and artistic talent busting out of the incubators like the Nerve centre, foyle arts, void gallery. Look at the jazz, film, feis festivals, and loads of independent music nights alrady making a name for themselves across Ireland and abroad. Support them, promote them and make them more accessible to all the people of Derry. Police the off licences and bars properly, chickens.

We need to delegate more responsibility away from unscrupulous businessmen and sectarian politicians and into the hands of local community groups including sports clubs, schools, churches.Thats why this forum is perfect but needs to be followed up by community ownership of local projects. We need to dictate but help deliver what happens to our streets, our city, our future. We know what developers do and what politicians don't. Neighbourhoods can take back the streets by using them. Go for a walk, chat to your neighbours, dig your garden. Hoods are just young flas having the craic, and still afraid of a telling off from their ma so talk to them, theyre alright. We should encourage people to use the green space around the estates for something, more sports parks, art, trees and vegetable gardens?

Ebrington site is interesting too, extension of Magee to a site just across the river connected by a footbridge would be perfect to integrate the two sides of the city in terms of community and business.

To create sustainable jobs in Derry we need to become expert at something, Magee should become a centre of excellence in integrated IT, Finance, teacher training or psychology. We have to stay cutting edge at least in something. high tech, creative IT services and communications would be better. but no weapons, cheers. Secondary schools need to seriously catch up with the rest of the world and send students in a direction that potentially has a future. It is the fault of secondary schools, and careers teachers specifically that we have young people who have invested 5 years in masters and phd degrees cold calling people in england to ask if they want a new internet provider. We need to be prudent and honest about careers advice and deliver what the market needs now and in five and ten years time, not what was respectable in 1985. We need engineers, scientists, technicians and entrepreneurs yesterday while Derry churns out about 400 teachers a year.

A strategy has to be implemented that fosters local entrepreneurship. Practice it in schools,Young Enterprise, have local business mentors talk at all schools. Treat business as a serious career option discussing the commercial application of all topics taught at school. You can make money doing anything. An centre of excellence at Magee would provide potential start ups, if supported by business incubators, top class communications links and a bit more effort in the international networking side of investni. We could create globally effective businesses without a rail link to belfast or motorway to dublin. IT, its the future. less dangerous roads, a safe airport and turning down the heating on the maiden city flyer would help too.

I hope this forum gives people the chance to make suggestions, if any of them are good they will get support and it might happen. We have some of the smartest and most creative people on the planet it would be brilliant to hear and eventually see what people would like Derry to become.

I hope any strategy is sincere and focusses the amazing assets of the City and its people toward a creative and dead good looking future. We need creative and up for it citizens, determined and progressive leadership to ensure that our city does not become a soulless hole. We have to hold our public representatives to account if they do not deliver.In fact they havent delivered much recently, we need more young and non sectarian people in politics. With the effort and sacrifices that our elder generation made for civil rights and progress on the streets of Derry it would be a sin to sit back in our call centres and allow ourselves and our town to lose our character, solidarity and optimism.

Suggest away, it feels great!

We are the People and we shall overcome!!

Comments (4)

YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!

Finally, someone who wants to do something and make this city a thriving centre for culture, business and innovation.

People love coming to this city - we're its biggest asset.

I agree with everything above, and I'll be doing my best to push these ideas any chance I get.

But, I would like to see a languages department at Magee, and a decent Bus station.

Mark Kelly 07 February 2009

that makes 2 out of 100,000. Everybody else must be happy enough. Where are all the opinionated taxi men, teachers, and people who would like a bit of change in the city? If you don't speak now u can't complain later.

Patrick Lynch 09 February 2009

Congratulations Paddy, that must have been building up on your chest for quite some time. You certainly have some great ideas and tremendous enthusiasm. I hope others will join in the spirit and keep the ball rolling. We need to get lots more people involved to build up a real momentum for change from the bottom up. I love your idea about the roof gardens!

Tommy Murphy 09 February 2009

Paddy,

Can I just say that I think you wrote a 10-stage programme of how to get this city back on track. Your right though. Today's generation has lost its identity of being citizens, a sense of belonging and being proud to be from a truly historic city.

Derry was more cosmopolitan during the war with many tongues cruising the big band nights throughout many venues. Our elders knew and realised what a hard days work meant, and the value of being paid at the end.

I've left this city on a number of occasions and always find that on a blue bird day, you can always see how attractive it looks, especially when coming across the Foyle bridge. But its when we get closer to the heart that we begin to pick out the negatives.

Why a loading bay for a major retailer sits on such a prominent waterfront position

If a horrible building such as the former Ulster Bank is for sale, why doesn't Ilex choose to buy it; tear it down and expose a glimpse of the historic walls for all vehichle and foot passengers as they navigate up the Strand?

Why would we advertise Derry on airline magazines as the historic city? “Visit the old town market adjacent to the historic walls” - There is nothing similar in character to an old Germanic town than seeing a semi decent market using plastic gazebos on the Guildhall Square. The market stalls should be crafted from 'oak' wood, our native leaf and they should be permanently dotted around the entire length of the city walls; forcing locals and visitors alike to experience our town

Why is there such a dilapidated building representing job recruitment on the walls (Magazine Gate)? Surely this is a perfect place for a café/coffee area with dedicated seating outside. Why does Council not provide electricity points along the walk of the walls so that small traders can set up stalls, server hot/cold food or drinks?

Why is it when you lift your eyes above the ground floor retail space in our city centre, are all the buildings in such shocking disrepair? Did they not offer a grant process for this many moons ago

And yes, who in their right mind could honestly represent the marketing drive of this city without engaging with Translink about the dire need to refurbish the Foyle Street bus depot area. Not a welcome sight for any first time visitor. See Liverpool for how it should be done

Tourism on a Sunday? Doesn't exist!!! Just walk around the town and see for yourself. There is nothing for them to do especially now that DCC has announced that the Tower Museum will close on a Sunday. What is wrong with a Monday? Seriously ?

The Craft Village, our only vista square yet with no people to enjoy the space. {solution} Please provide a proper entrance to this little gem of an area from Shipquay Street. The sacrifice of one lower half of a building would pay dividends for the local retailers who have stuck it out in there over the years. Offer incentives for traders to open early, break in the day and close later in the evening. Just like a proper European destination!

Lists like this could go on and on but it would be best to stop there. Everyone in the City loves a moan now and again. This is mine!

Cahir

Cahir O'Doherty 19 May 2009

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Story added by PaddyLynch, 06 February 2009

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