A SINN Féin councillor has given a scathing assessment of the G8 summit legacy for the Fermanagh area.

In June 2013, the Lough Erne Resort, outside Enniskillen, hosted the annual meeting between leaders from eight of the most powerful countries in the world.

Among the dignitaries to attend were Prime Minister David Cameron, US president Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Speaking at the monthly meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC), Erne East representative Sheamus Greene claimed that none of the “vast benefits” promised to the area as a result of hosting the global event at Lough Erne had materialised.

Mr. Greene said there had been proposals for a bridge over Lough Erne, talk of a water park and also between £400 to 600 million in benefits.

The Sinn Féin representative said that a report was needed examining the benefits of the G8 summit, so that if FODC was offered a similar event, members wouldn’t be as “gullible” as the legacy Fermanagh District Council.

He said: “A lot of people weren’t just led up the garden path, they skipped away ahead up it, whistling with joy, starstruck at the thought of seeing all these world dignitaries landing on our doorstep, but forgetting that we were being promised all sorts of things that were never going to happen.”

Council Chief Executive, Brendan Hegarty, told the chamber that the bridge and water park proposals had been submitted separately by Fermanagh District Council after the G8 summit, asking for a legacy project to be established.

Mr. Hegarty said: “I can tell you definitively the answer that came back was the UK government pushed it back to the NI Assembly and the Assembly effectively said they didn’t have the money to do it, so they went nowhere.

“They effectively got very little hearing. They certainly didn’t materialise and I can categorically inform members that is the case.”

The Chief Executive added: “If we were told that this event was coming back to the area again in the near future, I think we would be much more better informed and realistic about the expectations of what the outcome and benefits for the area would be.”

Responding to Mr. Hegarty’s comments, Mr. Greene said it was his recollection that the legacy projects were talked about before the summit.

He said: “There were papers presented to Fermanagh District Council talking about the benefits other places had got. I presume the papers are still there or else I just dreamt it all.”

Erne North representative, John Feely, said that the Council didn’t know if there had been any “long term, lasting” benefits for the area.

Councillors agreed to bring the matter back before this month’s meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee.