The Chamber of Commerce in Derry is grateful to the Department for Social Development for the opportunity to comment on the conceptual proposals drawn up by Building Design Partnership for enhancements to the major public realm spaces at Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place.The Chamber notes from the Minister's statement that these proposals are in the form of initial designs and assume therefore that there will be future opportunities to comment as the detailed design work progresses. Members welcome in principle the decision by the Department to commit a substantial new investment of around £8 million to enhancing the visual amenity of these two major public spaces. The current pedestrianisation scheme is now some 20 years old and, in the Chamber's view, is badly in need of substantial upgrading. A number of members queried whether £8 million will be sufficient to deliver the quality scheme necessary to lift the fortunes of the area and made comparisons to spend in other UK cities on similar schemes.In addition, members suggested that there are elements of the present scheme which could be retained. Firstly the trees which were planted in the late 1980's are now quite mature and we would seek an assurance from the Department that these trees will be retained as part of the new proposals. Secondly, members questioned how the public arts feature in Waterloo Place which symbolists the long tradition of emigration from Derry and North West Ireland in centuries past will be integrated into the new scheme or perhaps it could be re-sited to a more appropriate location nearer the river.A number of members also queried the fit with this scheme and the existing buildings in and around the area. In particular concern was raised over the "Ulster Bank" building which currently blocks a complete corner of the walls and the suggestion was made that this should be demolished before any money was spent in the area.The leaflet published by the Department is in the form of a conceptual "masterplan" and there is little, if any, detailed factual information on the proposals in relation to materials to be used for the hard and soft landscaping features, for street lighting or for traffic management and traffic movement. The Chamber's comments on these issues are therefore based upon the artists impressions presented on the leaflet rather than on factual information.In relation to Guildhall Square the Chamber notes that the intention is to create a "lawn" (Item 12 on the Key) and also install a type of bandstand in front of the City Walls (Item 14 on the Key). The Chamber has reservations about these proposals. Guildhall Square is a formal space with boundaries defined by listed buildings and presenting a striking, dramatic and unimpeded view of the City Walls. It is not clear from the published information whether the proposed bandstand will be a permanent feature or a mobile one to be erected as the occasion requires. However, the Chamber believes it would detract from the visual amenity of Guildhall Square to have a permanent bandstand in this location and that it would also be contrary to the policy expressed in successive Area Plans to take whatever opportunities presented themselves to expose as much of the City Walls as possible to public view and not to obstruct these by allowing new buildings or structures to be placed in front of the Walls. A number of members suggested that the proposal to create a lawn on Guildhall Square would be out of character with the formality of that space and would also have significant potential for abuse by elements of the local population, perhaps at weekends or on other festive occasions during the calendar year. There is also the issue of frequent, if not continual, maintenance to be addressed. Unless the lawn is to be created with continuous growing evergreen grass there is the issue of its visual appearance during the winter months to be addressed. It was also suggested that the sculptural Landmark and other sculptures that are to be included should relate to the place, and designed as such rather than being a generic solution.The published leaflet states that the proposals will create a new pattern of vehicle movement including buses and taxis in a way that is not detrimental to the streetscape. It is not possible to make an informed assessment of this statement as no detailed information about traffic flow or traffic management has been presented to the public as part of this consultation. However, the Chamber believes that traffic access and traffic management will be crucial to the success of the new proposals. A key reason for the present pedestrianisation arrangements not fulfilling their full potential has been the absence of effective access control and the apparent lack of any traffic management policy in the pedestrian zone. In the 20 years or so since the present scheme was implemented there have been significant changes in transport policy in Europe and the UK which now need to be taken into account in drawing up traffic arrangements for these public realm proposals. It will therefore be important to ensure that the traffic proposals for Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place are consistent with Central Government Policies on transportation and urban sustainability and with the general thrust endorsed by European Governments of supporting actions which limit car traffic in town centres. The Chamber would wish to see the traffic policy and proposals for vehicle movement and control of vehicle access to Waterloo Place and Guildhall Square published and an opportunity given to the public to comment before final decisions are reached. Will the Department give an assurance that this will be doneIn relation to the fit with other schemes/projects that are underway or planned, members have asked for assurance that such schemes are being delivered in a co-ordinated way. Schemes mentioned included those being delivered by Derry City Council, NITB and ILEX.Finally the Chamber would be interested to see details of the statutory procedures which still have to be met before these proposals can be cleared for implementation. Will the Department be required to proceed in accordance with Articles 100 to 103 of the Planning (NI) Order 1991-which may lead to a public inquiry? Will more detailed factual information about the scheme be made available as part of that process or is there also an intention to afford further public consultation opportunities before then as the design work progresses to a more detailed stage? We hope that the Department finds these comments helpful and we look forward to a written response on the queries raised above.