Site preparations began at a car park on the former Academy Boys School site along Derry Road in Strabane. The work supports regeneration projects funded by £115 million in the Canal Basin area.

Representatives from Derry City and Strabane District Council, North West Regional College, Department for Infrastructure, Department for Communities, and Western Health and Social Care Trust met last week. They signed agreements appointing five integrated consultant teams to manage design for the projects.

Plans call for a leisure centre to replace the Riversdale Centre, a primary care health hub to consolidate town centre medical services, a college campus to support education and skills training, and a pedestrian and cycle bridge to connect the town centre to the public transport hub.

The regeneration coordinates with the Strabane Town Centre Public Realm Scheme and the cross-border Riverine project to upgrade lighting, footpaths, and public spaces.