North West City Region Strategic Development Priorities (2016 – ongoing)

The councils of Donegal, Derry City and Strabane District have a long history of cooperation dating back to the 1970s and the formation of the North West Region Cross Border Group (NWRCBG). To advance cooperation at the strategic level, and to ensure a coordinated approach to advancing the North West Gateway Initiative (NWGI), both Councils formed the North West Partnership Board (NWPB) in 2011. A multi-sectoral platform, its aim was to promote a coordinated and collaborative approach to the economic, social and cultural development of the region on a cross-border basis. During the course of 2015, however, a number of processes have aligned which create an exciting background for enhanced collaboration:

the Review of Public Administration (RPA) in Northern Ireland, and the Reform of Local Government Agenda in Ireland,
the associated emergence of like-with-like functions across local authorities in each jurisdiction;
the Stormont House Agreement makes a commitment to relevant Ministers considering strategic approaches to the development of the North West region; and
‘A Fresh Start’- The Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan (2015) further commits to the development of the North West Region of the Island including support for specific resources to assist with regional development and growth.

Together, these presented the Councils with the opportunity to shift to a new arrangement which would be designed to deliver more comprehensive and effective engagement and alignment with central government.

This was to lead to the creation of the unique partnership that is the North West Strategic Growth Partnership in 2016. Having been formally endorsed by both Governments via the North South Ministerial Council in July 2016, the Growth Partnership brings together senior Government officials from all Government departments in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to meet with Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council to deliver on the strategic priorities aimed at bringing real and positive change for the North West City Region. The new arrangements focus around development and co-ordinated investment on an ongoing basis in three key regional growth pillars: a) Economic Growth and Investment; b) Physical and Environmental Development; and c) Social and Community Cohesion and Wellbeing.

From October 2015, the ICLRD has supported the Councils in the North West – in partnership with other key regional stakeholders and Central/Regional Government in both Dublin and Belfast – in the activation of new structures through a process of programme development and high-level facilitation. A strong emphasis has been placed on animating and supporting work activities around agreed planning priorities and the identification of future collaborative projects. Work streams have included:

elaborating on the form and function of the North West City Region incl. working with central and regional government to draft the Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP) for the City-Region, incl. the Letterkenny Regional Growth Centre;
acting as client advisor to both Councils on the Harvard University Commissioned ‘An Atlas for the North West City Region Landscape Post-Brexit’;
preparing submissions to national and regional policy;
reflecting and refreshing the strategic regional development priorities for the City-Region at critical junctures;
strengthening relationships at EU and transEuropean levels;
supporting Council staff from a range of units to work collaboratively on strategic regional issues such as the climate emergency, green transformation, energy security, and the circular economy; and
nurturing links with representative bodies for industry and the business community.

Key Documents:

The North West Strategic Growth Plan: A Model for Regional Development and Growth of the North West of the Island of Ireland (2016). Click to Download
Building a Cross-Border, Cross-Sectoral Agenda: The North West Partnership Forum Action Plan (2014) Click to Download