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Land sold to help facilitate Magee campus expansion

UU The university campus in Londonderry. A number of bushes and grassy areas can be seen in front of a Gothic-looking building with several large windows.UU
The expansion of the university in Londonderry has long been regarded as a catalyst for economic growth in the region

Five sites have been sold along Londonderry's riverfront to be used to help facilitate the expansion of the Ulster University campus in the city, a business group has said.

The land, which was previously owned by businessman Garvan O'Doherty, follows the publication of a report by the Magee taskforce earlier this week.

Established in March by Economy Minister Conor Murphy, the taskforce's remit is to develop and oversee an action plan to help expand the campus in Derry, formerly known as Magee.

The report said boosting student numbers in Derry from about 6,000 to 10,000 would help create more than 4,600 jobs across Northern Ireland, with more than half of those being located in the north west.

DCSDC At Ulster University's Derry~Londonderry campus at the launch of the Magee Expansion Taskforce's final report and Action Plan are (l-r) Stephen Kelly, Chair of the Magee Taskforce; Cllr Lilian Seenoi Barr, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council; Nicola Skelly, Vice Chair of the Magee Taskforce; Economy Minister Conor Murphy; and Professor Paul Bartholomew, Vice-Chancellor of Ulster University.DCSDC
Increasing student numbers at Ulster University's campus by 2032 will help address regional imbalance, according to the taskforce's report

The taskforce, chaired by Manufacturing NI chief executive Stephen Kelly, is made up of members from the community and voluntary sectors and from government and local government.

Mr Kelly described the expansion of the campus as "the most important catalyst for the regeneration of the north west", but said it had to be resourced and supported at all levels of government.

The taskforce also said that any further delays in bringing forward the funding for expansion, "will result in further missed opportunities for the economy in the north west and across Northern Ireland".

A 10,000 student target in Derry was included in New Decade, New Approach (NDNA), which restored Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive in 2020.

It stated that both the UK and Irish governments would aim to financially support the 10,000 student number expansion target.

Garvan O'Doherty sitting at a radio desk. He is wearing a white shirt and black jacket.
The land was previously owned by Derry businessman Garvan O'Doherty

In a statement, the Garvan O'Doherty Group confirmed the completion of the sale of five "strategically important sites along Derry's riverfront which will be used as part of the expansion by Ulster University".

They said the sites located on Queens Quay were acquired over several years with the view to bringing economic life back to the once bustling Derry quayside.

A spokesperson for the Garvan O'Doherty Group said that the university expansion is "universally agreed as being the most important economic investment in the city".

"Bringing economic life back to the city centre, creating new jobs in new industries, are the catalysts we need to realise Derry's untapped potential.

"There has been considerable interest in these sites, and we have had other, higher offers, but decided to sell at a lower price in the civic interest.

"We all want to see Magee expand to 10,000 students and this will facilitate that."

The formal handover of the sites is expected in the 2025.