Derry Walls Management Plan launched

An updated version of the Derry Walls management plan has been published. First published in 2009, this version sets out practical information on how the walls are managed, delegation of responsibilities and what permissions are required to stage events or carry out works.

It complements the Conservation Plan of 2015 which set out agreed policies to guide the overall development of the monument.

Speaking at the launch of the document at a meeting of the Derry Walls Management Group, Iain Greenway, Director of the Department for Communities (DFC) Historic Environment Division said: “This plan is an important reminder of the practical cooperation that is required across a number of bodies to maintain this significant state care monument which is so important to the tourism and associated economic development of its city.

“It builds upon the experience of the almost ten years of the Management Group and provides clear guidance to all who want to use the walls for events or works. It demonstrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that, though engagement with key partners, the monument can achieve its full potential to contribute to the economic and social development of the city.”

The plan is part of a suite of three related documents which were initially funded by Tourism NI as part of its investment in the Walled City Signature Project. The first edition of the Conservation Plan was published in 2006 and a revised edition was published in 2015. This explains what is important about the monument, why this is the case and sets out policies to guide future development. 

Stephen Gillespie, Director of Business and Culture at Derry City and Strabane District Council said: “As the city moves forward to realise its ambitious plans to increase tourist numbers and the time they stay in the city, it is vital that its principal attraction: the city walls, are well maintained and welcoming to visitors. The revised and updated management plan is an important step in this regard and reflects the strong partnership which has developed between the Council, HED and other stakeholders since the initial Conservation Plan was launched in 2006.”

Edward Montgomery, Secretary of The Honourable The Irish Society said. “The Society is pleased to see the publication of this plan which reflects the latest development of the Northern Ireland Executive’s commitment to this monument since responsibility transferred to it from the Society in 1955. The partnership approach developed formally over the last ten years is key to realising the full heritage tourism potential of the monument and we look forward to its ongoing development.”

Condition surveys, drawings and a detailed photographic record taken in 2005 to inform the documents are lodged in the Tower Museum and in the Northern Ireland Monuments and Buildings Record in Belfast.

Notes to editors: 

1. An updated version of the city walls management plan can now be downloaded from the Department for Communities website
2. This is the Second Edition of the Management Plan, the first edition was published in 2009
3. The Gazetteer, published in 2011, provides detailed information on the history and development of the monument and a case study can be accessed online
4. The Management Group has met since 2009 and in 2016 it was reorganised as a strategic group and an implementation group. Membership includes: DfC Historic Environment Division; Derry City and Strabane District Council Officers; The Honourable the Irish Society; TourismNI; The City Centre Initiative; the Friends of the Derry Walls; Visit Derry; DfI Roads; DfC North West Development Office; Department of Justice & PSNI
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