Coleraine To Get Up To £20 Million To Restore Pride In Neighbourhoods And Boost Growth

Coleraine and Derry / Londonderry are set to receive £40m as part of the UK government's Plan for Neighbourhoods, which follows on from a previous commitment made last year.

In April 2024, it was announced as part of the Conservative government's budget that they would each receive £20m over 10 years, as part of the Towns Fund.

The funding earmarked for the regeneration of both areas was then suspended by the newly elected Labour government last year.

However, the government has now confirmed that both Coleraine and Derry will receive £20m each, along with 75 other areas across the UK.

Local people in Northern Ireland are to see their high streets revived, community hubs saved and public services transformed and strengthened through £40 million funding through the government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods to tackle deprivation and turbocharge growth, as every area joins the decade of national renewal committed to in our Plan for Change. 

A total of 75 areas will each receive up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade through the plan, with ministers vowing it will help transform “left behind” areas by unleashing their full potential by investing in delivering improved vital community services from education, health and employment, to tackling local issues like crime. Transformation will be holistic, long-term, and sustainable to deliver meaningful change in the day-to-day lives of local people. 

In Northern Ireland areas due to receive funding through the plan include:  

• Derry~Londonderry 

• Coleraine  

Each board will decide how to spend up to £20 million of funding and support – they can choose from options ranging from repairs to pavements and high streets, to setting up low-cost community grocers providing low-cost alternatives when shopping for essentials, as well as co-operatives or even neighbourhood watches.  

This is the latest step in the government’s ambitious Plan for Change missions to grow the UK economy, deliver safer streets and create opportunities for everyone. 

Today’s announcement is in contrast to unfunded pledges from the previous government. The Plan for Neighbourhoods doubles the scope of the types of projects that can benefit and is now fully aligned with the Government’s long-term Plan for Change missions: breaking down barriers to opportunity and kickstarting economic growth. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner MP said:     

“For years, too many neighbourhoods have been starved of investment, despite their potential to thrive and grow. Communities across the UK have so much to offer – rich cultural capital, unique heritage but most of all, an understanding of their own neighbourhood. 

“We will do things differently, our fully funded Plan for Neighbourhoods puts local people in the driving seat of their potential, having control of where the Whitehall cash goes – what issues they want to tackle, where they want to regenerate and what growth they want turbocharge.” 

Minister for Local Growth and Building Safety, Alex Norris MP, said:   

“When our local neighbourhoods thrive, the rest of the country thrives too. That’s why we are empowering communities to take control of their futures and create the regeneration and growth they want to see. 

“Our Plan for Neighbourhoods will deliver long-term funding that will bolster that inner community spirit in us all and relight the fires in corners of the UK that have for too long been left fighting for survival.  

“This, along with our ambitious reforms to streamline the planning system, devolve powers and strengthen workers’ rights, will help get places and people thriving once again.” 

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP said:  

“I am delighted that the UK Government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods will deliver £20m worth of investment each for Coleraine and Derry-Londonderry, providing a hugely welcome boost for those communities. 
 
"This Government is committed to supporting growth and public service transformation in Northern Ireland, and through the Budget we are delivering the largest real-terms funding settlement for Northern Ireland since devolution."   

In each area, the government will support the establishment of a new ‘Neighbourhood Board’, bringing together residents, local businesses, and grassroots campaigners to draw up and implement a new vision for their neighbourhood.    

Each board will decide how to spend up to £20 million of funding and support. The government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods’ ultimate aim is to create thriving places, strengthen communities, and empower local people to take back control in towns across the country.    

By creating thriving places, strengthening communities, and empowering people to take back control areas can drive forward their priorities and the Government’s long-term Plan for Change missions: breaking down barriers to opportunity and kickstarting economic growth.