Fermanagh and Omagh District Council announces redevelopment of the Fermanagh Lakeland Forum

The 49-year-old Fermanagh Lakeland Forum is set to undergo a major redevelopment to create a state of the art sports and wellbeing facility on its existing site, in the heart of Enniskillen.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council approved the transformative project at a Special Council meeting tonight, Tuesday 15th April 2025.

The highly innovative project includes funding of £20m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund and represents the most significant capital investment ever undertaken by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council with a total project cost of £70million.

The investment, located on the water’s edge of the River Erne, will see the current Lakeland Forum replaced with a modern leisure facility designed to support healthy lifestyles and community activities, providing inclusive and accessible spaces for people of all ages. It will be the first Passivhaus standard leisure facility in Northern Ireland, bringing the highest environmental and sustainability standards to the design and build.

The project, which was developed following extensive public engagement, will provide economic and social benefits to the local area during construction through job creation, apprenticeship opportunities, skills development and school engagement initiatives. In addition to delivering the state of the art facility, the project will also deliver a wide range of long-lasting benefits to the District including new opportunities for leisure and recreation, health and wellbeing, tourism and the local economy, while supporting the local environment through sustainable development.

Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor John McClaughry, said:

“The redevelopment of the Fermanagh Lakeland Forum reflects the Council’s ambition and commitment to investing in the health and wellbeing of residents creating inclusive, accessible spaces for everyone to enjoy and a healthier more connected and vibrant district.

This is a landmark investment for Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and we are delighted to have secured £20millon from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund to help build the new centre. By investing in first-class facilities, the Council is ensuring the people of Fermanagh and Omagh have access to the very best leisure facilities which will set the standard for leisure provision across Northern Ireland and beyond.

We acknowledge that the redevelopment will be disruptive for Lakeland Forum users during the period of construction and the Council has planned an alternate suite of leisure provision across the district for users.”

The construction of the new centre will be undertaken by John Graham Construction Ltd and the new facility will include:

• 8-lane 25m swimming pool, separate learner pool & splash pad area for young children.
• Fully equipped gym and fitness suite.
• Community and multipurpose activity spaces.
• State-of-the-art destination play park.
• Urban sports park.
• Full-size synthetic sports pitch.
• New cycling, walking and running trails.
• Active waterfront and outdoor events area.
• Improved pedestrian links to Enniskillen town centre.

The Fermanagh Lakeland Forum will close on Wednesday 30th April 2025 to facilitate the construction works and it is anticipated the new centre will be complete in 2028. A comprehensive programme of alternative leisure provision has been developed to ensure customers of the Fermanagh Lakeland Forum have access to a range of leisure facilities during the redevelopment phase.