Traders welcome street reopening after eight months

Traders in Londonderry have welcomed the reopening of one of the city's busiest streets after it was closed for eight months.

Foyle Street closed in August 2024 to allow for a £4.2m major upgrade to the water and sewerage infrastructure.

It is due to reopen to traffic later on Friday, five weeks ahead of schedule.

Record store owner Lee Mason said he was delighted to see the street returning to normal after a tough time for businesses.

For five months late last year, and with the work ongoing, he said his business was hidden behind huge hoardings.

"The barriers from August to December were awful, we had no visibility, the shop wasn't visible," he told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

"As I have said many times, we were down 50% at weekends, and probably about 40% Monday to Thursday.

"I am just glad it is done and dusted."

He has now called for traders to be compensated over the disruption.

"The work was essential work and we all understand that, but at the same time we need to be compensated if the work has affected our business, and it has without doubt affected our business," he said.

When work got underway in August last year traders said they were concerned about the long-term impact of the closure.

There was a temporary reprieve over Christmas before the street was closed off to allow NI Water to continue with the upgrade work.

Olive McEleney works in her family-run hair salon on Foyle Street.

She told BBC Radio Foyle that, like most traders, she understands the need for the work the past eight months had been tough.

"Needs must, the work had to be done, but business has suffered these last eight months," she said.

"We are small businesses, small family businesses, not multi-million pound companies. We were trying to keep the staff we have, keep the flow of business."

She agrees that some form of financial support, possibly a rates relief scheme, would help support the Foyle Street traders.

"The loss of business, especially in the run up to Christmas, the businesses were badly impacted and the rates definitely should have been considered," she said.

Manager of Derry's City Centre Initiative Jim Roddy said local traders were to be commended "for their patience and understanding since work started last summer".

He also said they should be compensated, if they have lost money.

"Absolutely, and what needs to happen there, the loss needs to be evidenced and then that put to Northern Ireland Water and then let Northern Ireland Water consider if compensation should be paid."

But he said the work was essential for the future of the city.

"Anbody who knows what's going on with Northern Ireland Water at the moment and any future developments, capacity is a major, major issue for all planning applications," he said.

"We were literally at full capacity within our walled city, so developments within our walled city would not have been able to happen without this work.

"This now allows those developments to do ahead."

In a statement, NI Water said Foyle Street would reopen to most traffic on Friday but buses would not return until the end of June.

The upgrade of the 100-year-old water and wastewater infrastructure has included the installation of 400 metres (1,312 ft) of dedicated stormwater sewer as well as 170 metres (557ft) of new watermain.

Work on the upgrade's final phase, which includes the reinstallation of footpaths and during which the street will be fully accessible during business hours, will be completed by the end of next month, NI Water added.