Plans approved for 900 new houses in Londonderry

The site in the Waterside area of Derry

Plans have been approved in principle for 750 new houses to be built in the Waterside area of Londonderry.

Outline planning permission was granted for the £100m development for the Ballyoan area at a council meeting on Monday.

The site spans 37.5 hectares and is located to the east of Clooney Rd overlooking Caw roundabout.

Separate plans for 146 new houses in the Galliagh area of Derry were also approved on Monday.

The mayor of Derry City and Strabane Council, John Boyle, said he was "delighted to see these plans going ahead".

"Council's planning team are working closely with local developers to facilitate positive and responsible development across the city and district to meet the needs of local people," he added.

£100m investment

South Bank Square Ltd said the development in the Waterside will be the city's biggest residential scheme in more than a decade.

The owner, Seamus Gillan, said: "In addition to the headline figure of our £100m investment, we expect that up to 1,000 construction jobs will be created during the construction period over the next 10 years."

They aim to start working on the site in the first quarter of 2020.

The new site will include detached houses along with semi-detached, townhouses, and apartments.

The overall plan also includes a commercial space and play and recreation areas.

Plans were also approved on Monday for an extension to a new city centre hotel on the Strand Road.