Draft Enniskillen Place Shaping Plan launched for consultation.
16th January 2023
Consultation on the draft Enniskillen Place Shaping Plan has commenced, and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is encouraging residents, businesses, community and voluntary sector, public sector organisations and young people to have their say.
Place Shaping looks at how the Council can make local communities stronger and more resilient in the future through understanding what they have in terms of assets. This includes buildings, green spaces, skills and knowledge, community groups, and public services on offer. The Council wants to build on this rich history, the geographic and economic location and tourism potential of Enniskillen to secure a sustainable social, economic and physical regeneration for all to enjoy.
The draft plan outlines the ambition for Enniskillen Town up to 2035 with the aim of a restorative reset to re-establish Enniskillen as a naturally welcoming and beautiful island town linked to the local waterway.
Through collaborative partnerships and targeted investment the plan aims to reposition Enniskillen as a more sustainable, attractive, vibrant town, all of which will contribute to the improved quality of life for all who live, visit or work in the area.
There are six identified themes:
- Island Town; Reinforcing connections between Enniskillen town centre and the River Erne to restore a sense of island community
- Destination Town; Capitalising on Enniskillen’s location and celebrating heritage with a focus on sustainable tourism
- Thriving Town; Creating a more vibrant town centre through fostering a vibrant business environment and encouraging growth in town centre footfall
- Connected Town; Improving connectivity and accessibility throughout the town, with linkages to surrounding places, and a people first approach
- Healthy and Inclusive Town; Ensuring Enniskillen is an inclusive town with a prosperous, well educated, and healthy community
- Opportunity Town; Establishing a pathway for activating the many opportunity sites located in and around the town.
The draft plan details how these will be realised with the proposal of 15 high level actions, which have been identified through the initial consultation process. This has included a review of key data and evidence; an initial consultation phase during summer/autumn 2022 as well as consideration of the challenges facing Enniskillen.
These include adapting to the post Covid 19-pandemic; the new A4 Enniskillen Southern Bypass; use of vacant sites; as well as addressing the impact of climate change and embracing a more sustainable approach to development.
Speaking about the plan, the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Barry McElduff said: “I am delighted that the draft Enniskillen Place Shaping Plan is now open for consultation.
I would strongly encourage residents to have their say. Local people’s ideas and proposals are both essential and welcome. That is, if we are to build on these strong foundations and create a pathway to a more vibrant and prosperous town.
Enniskillen has a unique attribute as Ireland’s only island town. We want to position Enniskillen as a vibrant place for current and future generations and as a regionally important economic, educational, and tourism hub”.
Chair of the Fermanagh and Omagh Community Planning Strategic Partnership Board, Councillor Errol Thompson said: “We are fully committed to regenerating Enniskillen into a thriving island town. A sense of place and indeed a pride of place are crucial to any thriving community within the Fermanagh and Omagh district.
The draft Enniskillen Place Shaping Plan will allow us to advocate and enable opportunities for change, growth, wellness and inclusive community that includes strong business development”.
The Chair of the Steering Group set up to lead the development of the draft plan, Councillor Paul Blake commented:
“The Enniskillen Place Shaping Plan places people at the heart of everything we do and recognises that everyone has something to offer in shaping the future of it. We have ensured that businesses, community and voluntary organisations, children and young people have been included in this process from the start.
This period of consultation gives those that have worked with us along the way an opportunity to see their thoughts and ideas visualised and to tell us what they think of them.
We are excited as we enter the final stages of agreeing the content of a Place Shaping Plan for Enniskillen. We want to create sustainable communities with the infrastructure to support them, where people can live, work and travel while reducing inequalities and maximising incomes and assets within our communities.”
The Draft Plan development was overseen by the Fermanagh and Omagh Community Planning Partnership through an appointed Enniskillen Place Shaping Steering Group which included Elected Members for the Enniskillen District Electoral Area alongside, wider community planning representatives, business and community and voluntary sector representation. The Community Planning Partnership would like to thank those who have contributed to the plan to date, KPMG Future Analytics for developing the plan and the Department of Communities for funding this initiative.
The consultation is live until 12 noon on Monday 27 February. There is also an opportunity to participate online by joining one of the scheduled webinars on Monday 6 February, 7-9pm or Saturday 25 February 10am-12noon. To book a space please click below.
To view the draft plan and take the survey click here: Draft Enniskillen Place Shaping Plan