Fort George regeneration programme
The 11 acre Fort George site in Derry~Londonderry, a former military base, is owned by the Department and is situated on the west bank of the River Foyle. From circa 1970 the site had been used as a military base before it was returned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to the Port and Harbour Commissioners in 2001.
Remediation
In 2004 the Department acquired the site from the Port and Harbour Commissioners at a cost of £12 million with the benefit of certain indemnities in respect of possible land contamination.
The Department sought and received £3.2 million from the MOD towards the cost of decontamination in exchange for the formal release and legal cancellation of existing indemnities against MOD.
White Young Green environmental consultants were appointed in February 2012 to prepare a remediation strategy and then manage the contract. Subsequently, Deane Public Works were appointed to carry out capping and remediation works in 2018, and this work was completed in April 2019.
Development framework
The Department received Outline Planning Permission for the Fort George Development framework in December 2015 for major mixed use development to include:
- residential
- office, employment & education uses (including research & development/call centre)
- community facilities
- retail
- cafes, bars and restaurants
- associated multi-storey and surface car parking.
The Fort George Development Framework was produced on behalf of the Department in 2014.
Catalyst Inc
The Catalyst Inc (formerly North West Regional Science Park) building was opened in September 2014.
In order to accommodate the 50,000 sq. ft. building, the Department agreed to lease 1.1 acres of the Fort George site on a 125 year term. Catalyst Inc has also obtained planning permission to build a second building within the land leased to them.
Catalyst Inc is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that houses innovators in an entrepreneurial setting which drives the knowledge economy in Northern Ireland by nurturing innovators and entrepreneurs to aim higher and succeed faster. It invests the surplus generated from its property operations to provide the underwriting necessary for its community-led innovation ecosystem that supports over 900 start-ups, entrepreneurs and innovators each year to create and scale innovation companies in Northern Ireland.
Expression of interest exercise
In 2018 the Department appointed a consultant to conduct an expression of interest exercise. This was not a formal marketing exercise but rather an information gathering exercise to find out what interest there was on the site.
Eleven expressions of interest were received. Although the Department is still open to all options, it is likely that a fuller marketing exercise will take place at some point.
Arup report
In order to inform the Department’s considerations on the best use for the site, Ove Arup and Partners Ltd (Arup) was appointed to provide strategic advice on the disposal and delivery options for Fort George.
The report includes a market analysis carried out by consultant, Lambert Smith Hampton, which assesses the level of private sector demand across a number of sectors including residential, office, retail, leisure and others.
Western Health and Social Care Trust proposal
The Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) have been working closely with the Department regarding their proposed development of a Cityside Health and Care Centre on the Fort George site in Derry~Londonderry. This health and care centre is anticipated to create 250 new permanent jobs as well as centralising approximately 450 posts in a modern state of the art facility. The positions will include nursing, social work, allied health professional, and administrative roles as well as the relocation of a number of GP surgeries.
The sale of the 1.7-acre parcel of the land at Fort George to WHSCT completed at the end of March 2023 and the sale of a further 0.76 acres completed in March 2025.
The Western Health and Social Care Trust submitted their Full Planning Application in July 2025.This application related to the “Proposed erection of new Cityside Health and Care Centre for Western Health and Social Care Trust, including a multistorey car park, site access roads and associated landscaping with additional public realm works, including pedestrian link to Quay Trail, and infrastructure works including upgrade of Pennyburn Roundabout to include additional lanes and associated junction improvements, to support the development of the site.”
DfC proposal for the remainder of the site
In addition to the WHSCT proposal, the Department for Communities has submitted a Proposal for Application Notice (PAN) for a revised Outline Planning Permission for the remainder of the site in early December 2025. The PAN described the development as the “Proposed mixed use regeneration development with potential uses comprising office, research and development (Class B1), health and life sciences, residential apartments, purpose-built student accommodation, retail (Class A1), hotel, leisure, public realm, cafes, bars and restaurants, community and cultural uses (Class D1), car parking, active travel hub, with linkages to the existing waterfront greenway, on lands at Fort George on Strand Road.”
A Public Consultation event will be held to discuss the proposed Outline Planning Application in January 2026.
It is envisaged that Outline Planning will provide a framework for a wide range of uses, however it will be up to the market to decide the ultimate end uses that best serve the city. It is expected that the site will be opened to the market once Outline Planning Permission is secured.
Information regarding the planned Public Consultation event for Fort George will follow once details are confirmed.