Riverside Stadium is to be demolished and returned to a greenfield under new plans agreed by the local council.
At a meeting of the Derry City and Strabane District Council's planning committee this week, members were told that the demolition of the site would be the 'first step in assisting the club on their journey’ to find a new stadium.
The stadium, which is located in Drumahoe, was severely damaged in August 2017 after a substantial flood in the area.
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Under the approved plans, all physical infrastructure located within the stadium will be demolished, including turnstiles, spectator stands, floodlighting and seating.
Last year, local people in the area were given the chance to take part in a consultation over the proposals.
Institute currently play their home matches at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in the city side.
Mark McIvor, who spoke on behalf of the applicant Institute Football Club, said that those associated with the club 'wanted a return to the Waterside area'.
He said: “In terms of the club they are a community club, obviously they have been operating from the application site at Drumahoe since 1980 and over that period of years they have been heavily invested building the stadium up from what was originally a grass pitch to what it is today with four stands.
“It was suitable for Irish League football and obviously the club were devastated by the floods in 2017 and failure thereafter to get suitable flood insurance.
“What that has effectively called into question is the future viability and sustainability of the club operating from that site so any further investment into this stadium was rendered impossible and the club made the difficult decision on the back of those circumstances and with one eye on protecting the long term viability of the club to look elsewhere within the city, particularly the Waterside area for a suitable alternative site.
“Getting this planning permission to commence demolition and return those lands back to their original use would be the first step in assisting the club with their journey. Currently, they are sharing the Brandywell Stadium but ultimately they want to return to the Waterside area.”
With council officers recommending the demolition application for approval, SDLP councillor Sean Mooney proposed the recommendation, describing it as "bittersweet".
Unanimously, members gave the officer’s recommendation the green light.
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