Council announces commencement of revitalisation project in Lisnaskea.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has announced details of a £160,000 project at Bank Brae, Lisnaskea under the Village Renewal Scheme.

The project will be undertaken by BMK Contracts and is scheduled to commence on 21 September 2020 with a contract time of approximately 5 months.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has been working in partnership with Lisnaskea Chamber of Commerce towards a project to redevelop the old disused public convenience site at Bank Brae and improve the busy intersection.

Speaking about the project, the Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Chris Smyth, said, “this is an excellent new development which will see this part of Lisnaskea completely reinvigorated. Towns and villages in the Fermanagh and Omagh district are important social and economic hubs for many of our residents. The Council welcomes the opportunity to work in partnership with local communities and key stakeholders to deliver actions and initiatives to renew and regenerate villages and to make our district a great place to live, work and visit.

“Investing in the revitalisation of the towns and villages in our district is a vital step in helping our local communities remain vibrant and relevant, most especially at these difficult times.”

The Chairman of Lisnaskea Chamber of Commerce, Shane Wilson said, “We are delighted that the submission by Lisnaskea Chamber of Commerce for the renovation project at the former public convenience site as part of the Village Action Plan was approved. We are looking forward to the completion of the project which will not only improve the visual amenity of the area but will also improve pedestrian safety at what is a very busy junction at High Street and Bank Brae.”

Commenting on the project, the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh Local Action Group, Mary T Conway, said “I am delighted to see this project commence in Lisnaskea. It is great to see Lisnaskea Chamber of Commerce take the initiative to make such positive improvements in this busy rural town and I commend them and, indeed, all local groups and organisations who identify areas of improvement in their locality and proceed to initiate change. My LAG colleagues and I look forward to seeing the finished project which I’m sure will be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike”.

The project will involve the demolition of the existing public convenience block replacing it with a light open bus shelter, improvements to the aesthetics of the area through the use of imaginative landscaping and planting on Bank Brae, erection of Heritage Panels with information about the local area and the installation of crossing islands on Bank Brae and High Street.

This project is part funded under Priority 6 (LEADER) of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the European Union.