Limavady

Coordinates: 55°03′11″N 6°56′46″W / 55.053°N 6.946°W / 55.053; -6.946

Limavady (/lɪməˈvædi/; from Irish Léim a' Mhadaidh, meaning "leap of the dog") is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying 17 miles (27 km) east of Derry and 14 miles (23 km) southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 12,043 people as of the 2001 Census—an increase of some 17% since 1991. In the 30 years between 1971 and 2011, Limavady's population nearly doubled.

Features

Limavady has undergone sustained growth during the past fifty years thanks to significant modern industrial development and public perception of the town as attractive and residential. Limavady, a lucrative service hub for the Roe Valley, has seen competition from other retail centres: Derry, Coleraine and, to a lesser extent, Ballymena. One of the distinctive features of the town's growth has been the predominant southward and eastward expansion of its suburbs, with the River Roe flood plain continuing to contain the town to the west and north. From 1988 to 2004, a total of 1,332 dwellings were built in the town, mainly at Bovally along the south eastern edge of the town. The large industrial estate at Aghanloo is 2 miles (3 km) north of the town.

Limavady Borough Council

Coordinates: 55°03′04″N 6°57′04″W / 55.051°N 6.951°W / 55.051; -6.951

Limavady Borough Council (Irish: Comhairle Bhuirg Léim an Mhadaidh) is a local government body in Northern Ireland. It is set to merge with Coleraine Borough Council, Ballymoney Borough Council and Moyle District Council in May 2015 under local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland to become Causeway Coast and Glens District Council.

Its headquarters are in the town of Limavady, although 63% of the population lives in a rural setting. It covers an area of 586 square kilometres and includes the valley of the River Roe. It stretches from the Sperrin Mountains in the south to Benone beach, a seven-mile strand on the Atlantic coast which was the first beach in Northern Ireland to be awarded a Blue Flag. Apart from Limavady other towns in the area include Dungiven and Ballykelly.

The Limavady Borough Council area consists of three electoral areas: Limavady Town, Benbradagh and Bellarena. The Council was established in 1973 and is made up of 15 members who are elected (normally for a four-year term) using a single transferable vote system.