Londonderry: Calls for council to take over Ebrington Square

Ebrington, which closed as a military site in 2003, has been managed by The Executive Office since 2016.

Ebrington Square should be handed over to Derry City and Strabane District Council, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) has said.

The public space in Londonderry has been managed by the Executive Office (TEO) since 2016.

Earlier in September, TEO was criticised after paying almost £300,000 following a dispute over the use of the square for public events.

Foyle SDLP assembly member Sinead McLaughlin said TEO should step away.

"This mismanagement is on a horrendous scale and needs to be stopped," she told BBC News NI.

"It [Ebrington Square] needs to be brought back to the people, to the decision makers in this city and to the local authority".

BBC News NI has contacted TEO for comment.

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The dispute began earlier in the summer when four concerts scheduled for the square in August had their permission withdrawn by TEO following a threat of legal action by the Ebrington Hotel.

The gigs were then approved after the hotel dropped its objection amid a public backlash.

In a statement last week, TEO confirmed payments were made to three parties - including a payment of £150,000 to the hotel.

The Radio 1 Big Weekend in Derry featured acts like Calvin Harris, Bruno Mars and Rita Ora

Ms McLaughlin said there was concern for the square's future as a concert venue.

"The people of Derry are angry, I am angry and we have every right to be so," she said.

Concerts and large events have been held in Ebrington Square since the former parade ground was regenerated and opened to the public in 2012.

It has hosted some of the biggest music events ever held in Derry, including Radio 1's Big Weekend in 2013.

The square featured acts including Calvin Harris, Biffy Clyro, Bruno Mars and Rita Ora who performed as part of Derry's year as UK City of Culture.

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Democratic Unionist Party assembly member Gary Middleton said the controversy over concerts during the summer months had left the Derry public "rightly outraged".

He said in the future there must be a robust application process for events on the square, "one that prevents legal action or vetoes over particular concerts or events".

"The piece in the puzzle that is missing is that we need a square that is vibrant, which has events and concerts that people from all over will come along to - that's the vision we need to realise," he said.

Mr Doherty said the hotel did not have a veto over events on the square.

Meanwhile Cecil Doherty, the managing director of Ebrington Leisure Holdings Limited, which operates the Ebrington Hotel told BBC News NI said the hotel's position around the legal action had been misunderstood.

"The Ebrington Hotel has no objections to events on the square," he said.

"We merely asked for information from the Executive Office, which wasn't forthcoming and when it wasn't forthcoming we reserved our right to legal action.

"That was the extent of the legal threat that has become live in some people's minds."

He called abuse directed at staff over recent weeks "despicable".

"It's despicable when you have staff crying at work who are being upset by messages, by people ringing in and people leaving vile reports on Tripadvisor or elsewhere," he said.

"People are leaving unwarranted messages that are basically unreal and false."