The new Gate Lodge building at St Columb's Park, County L'Derry, has officially been handed over marking completion of the first element of the £6.2 million Acorn Farm capital build project.

Acorn Farm is an ambitious environmental initiative which will provide an innovative urban growing space in the Waterside area. The capital build project will completely transform the former MOD site and provide a dedicated area for the development of exciting new food growing technologies.

The Gate Lodge project was led by Derry City & Strabane District Council's Green Infrastructure Team with support from the UK Government.

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The Gate Lodge building sits at the entrance to St Columb's Park House and will act as a new Park Ranger base and house welfare facilities for the adjoining Acorn Farm.

The lodge is the council's first building to be built to Passive House standard, meaning that it’s extremely economical to run in terms of energy consumption.

At the handover, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Lilian Seenoi Barr, met with a UK Government representative from funder, the Architect Paul McAllister, the contractor, Willie Doherty, and other project partners to get a tour of the completed building.

Acknowledging this important first milestone in the project, Mayor Barr said: "I want to thank all those involved in delivering this new building, which will be an important facility for the local community, serving as a new HQ for our Waterside Park Ranger Service and a key entry point to St Columb's Park.

"It's a little teaser of what's to come and I am really looking forward to seeing the work progress on the rest of this ambitious and significant environmental project."

Image: Paul McAllister Architects & Energy Consultants