Landowners to share £4.8 million pay-out to make way for Cherrymount Link

Catriona Loughran • Published 25 Feb 2010 10:13 0 Comments

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An estimated £5 million is to be paid out by Roads Service to 14 landowners to make way for the construction of the Cherrymount Link Road, the Impartial Reporter can reveal.

The total land acquired for the two kilometres of road, which will provide a link from the existing Cherrymount Road/Cornagrade Road Roundabout to the north of Enniskillen and extending to the B80 Tempo Road to the east, was acquired compulsorily through a Vesting Order in February 2009.

In a Freedom of Information request made by the Impartial Reporter, DRD Roads Service revealed that landowners along the proposed trunk route ranged from private householders, educational establishments and businesses and can all expect to receive a share of the £4.8m estimated acquisition cost.

The estimate was determined through consultation with Land and Property Services and based on market values relating to the different land uses. The monies paid for the lands are based on their value at the date of vesting.

According to Roads Service, the value of the land was not agreed with the affected landowners at the time because process must be followed whereby each landowner must prove title to the acquired lands and place claim before Land and Property Services to establish the amount of compensation they should receive.

Only a few claims for payment have been received and the full amount of these have yet to be agreed with the Land and Property Services.

Apart from private homeowners other landowners include Invest Northern Ireland, Quinn Direct, Fermanagh District Council, Ulidia Housing Association, BT, Autumnwindow Ltd, St Michael's Diocesan Trust, Northern Ireland Water, Ulster Farmer's Mart, NIE and Fermanagh Roman Catholic Board of Education.

It's understood Ulster Farmers Mart and St Michael's Diocesan Trust are among the largest owners of sites on the Tempo Road.

Two properties on the Tempo Road were also purchased by DRD Roads Service at a cost of £600,000 following receipt of blight notices from owners who were experiencing trouble in selling the properties due to the impact of the road scheme.

The £12.8 million scheme incorporates a single two-lane carriageway extending over a length of two kilometres.

The existing northern section, will be widened locally to make provision for a short length (0.5 kilometres) of single lane dualling, leading to 1.5 kilometres of new single carriageway construction from Carn Industrial estate across the Coa Road to connect with the B80 Tempo Road in the vicinity of Cherryvalley housing development.

It will put in place a direct link from the A32 Irvinestown Road to the A4 Dublin Road via the Tempo Road and Wickham Place.

Limited funding has allowed the first stage of advance construction work to progress last week and involves clearing the site and placing fill material in areas of poor underlying ground conditions and will take approximately three months to complete.

A contract to complete the works could be awarded in 2011/12, which means the route will not be completed for another three years, but this is subject to the necessary funding being made available.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 25 Feb 10

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