STREETS with the greatest footfall will receive “particular attention” when it comes to rolling out the public realm scheme in Enniskillen, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has said.
The Department for Communities is investing approximately £4.7million in the project with a further £500,000 being provided by the Council. 
At Monday night’s Council meeting in Enniskillen the proposal was rubber stamped as councillors agreed to accept the letter of offer from the Department. 
The scheme had been discussed with the Director of Regeneration and Planning Alison McCullagh and Chief Executive Brendan Hegarty during a previous meeting on January 16. 
During that particular meeting councillors were told that Transport NI had an ongoing obligation to ensure the pavements in Enniskillen were of a safe standard and that remedial works to address the deficiencies should not be deferred pending the commencement of the public realm scheme. 
Ms McCullagh noted that unlike other public realm schemes, the Department had indicated its funding would be capped and therefore much of the risk associated with the scheme had been transferred to the Council. 
The next step in the process is the appointment of an Integrated Consultancy Team which it is hoped will be in place by the end of Summer 2017.
When the team is appointed it would carry out consultations, develop designs and seek statutory approvals and this work will likely to take approximately one year.
According to the minutes of the special meeting, Mr. Hegarty informed councillors that completion of the scheme would take time and that disruption would be inevitable, therefore it was important to liaise with businesses. 
Both Ms McCullagh and Mr. Hegarty told councillors that linkages from Erneside Shopping Centre, the Buttermarket and Enniskillen Castle Museums had been included within the economic appraisal, however, the design team would be required to test and identify the best and most affordable options. 
The former Erne Hospital site was outside the area of the scheme and therefore provision of a footbridge was not included in the scheme, they explained. A feasibility study for linking the former Erne Hospital site would be completed by early February 2017.  The scheme included all streets within the town centre from Belmore Street to Darling Street, however particular attention would be given to those areas with the greatest footfall which includes the Diamond and Townhall street to its junctions with Middleton Street and Regal Pass and adjacent streets.