A submission has been made to Derry City and Strabane District Council for the installation of an artistic sculpture for Derry's Factory Girls as part of the wider redevelopment of Harbour Square.
SDLP Councillor Rory Farrell has said the submission for the artwork is "another hurdle overcome".
In April, councillors approved the selection and appointment of an artist to create and install the public artwork at Harbour Square, at a cost of £190,000. Councillors also approved the submission of an application to the Department for Communities to fund the capital costs for the artwork and wider redevelopment of Harbour Square, estimated at £1.7m.
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Cllr Farrell said: "It is great to see that the planning application has been lodged for the public realm work at Harbour Square, including the long-awaited Factory Girls sculpture. This is fantastic news and another hurdle overcome in this long running saga.
"It is vitally important that we as a council recognise our shirt-making heritage and the massive and valuable contribution that the Factory Girls have made to the very fabric of our city.
"It is well-deserved and it is long overdue. They have been disappointed, dejected and demoralised in the past when previous plans haven't come to fruition, so we are determined to get it right this time.
"Let's hope the entire city, including the Factory Girls, will be delighted come Christmas 2023 when we finally have the artwork in place."
Artist Chris Wilson has been appointed to undertake the production of the new artwork commission. The artwork will celebrate the industrial heritage of the city and acknowledge the significant role played by the women who worked in its factories and will be incorporated as part of a wider public realm redevelopment of the Square.
Mary White, Factory Girls representative, said: "We are delighted to see this project progressing to the next stage now with Chris appointed as the artist. We have no doubt he will do a fantastic job capturing the essence of what the factory girls meant to this city and the role that they all played in its history."
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