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Sli­ Cholmcille Scoping Study, Economic Appraisal and Design Toolkit Preparation

Client: Donegal County Council in collaboration with Derry City and Strabane District Council and SLi­ Cholmcille CLG

The Challenge

To prepare a scoping study, business case / economic appraisal and design toolkit to inform the development of the Sli Cholmcille.

Sli Cholmcille is a 250 km pilgrimage route linking key Colmcille related sites across Donegal and Derry. It will support cross-border tourism and recreation and connect communities through the shared heritage of Colmcille – a unifying figure and strong symbol of cooperation on the island of Ireland.

The proposed Sli­ Cholmcille route stretches from Gleann Cholm Cille in West Donegal through to Derry and onto Shroove in Inishowen where Colmcille departed for Scotland. It will traverse a blend of country roads and off-road trails to take the walker through stunning scenery in the footsteps of one of Ireland’s most important Early Christian Saints. This body of work is considered the initial phase or primary arterial route with the aspiration to link further into Northern Ireland and across the Irish Sea to Argyll in Scotland.

The Role

Donegal County Council was awarded funding through the Shared Island Local Authority Development Funding Scheme towards feasibility assessment of the proposed initiative. Outscape led a multi-disciplinary team to undertake:

  1. Scoping Study – to appraise and finalise the route, engage with stakeholders and identify capital and marketing investment requirements.
  2. Business Case/Economic appraisal – to demonstrate the return on investment, commercial potential, economic viability, financial sustainability and critically assesses options, while ensuring strong governance arrangements.
  3. Design Toolkit –  to provide a suite of designs and construction specifications based on the infrastructure requirements identified, to ensure consistency of design and branding across the entire route and for all phases of work.

Project Partners

Tandem
The Paul Hogarth Company
Cogent Management Consulting