ENNISKILLEN business owners “fear we are a forgotten part of the province” and are disappointed at the current state of the town’s street scape.

Enniskillen Business Partnership (EBP) want Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) to prioritise a £5-6 million public realm scheme that was proposed 10 years ago to revitalise the town centre.

Dirty signs, run down benches, bollards and cobbles in the Diamond, as well as bumps in the pavement, untidy bins and weeds have prompted visitors to ask the High Street business owners: “What happened to Enniskillen?” Chairman of EBP, Jonathan Styles tells The Impartial Reporter that the ‘public realm scheme’ is “a street upgrade plan to highlight the areas of greatest focus as the main street winds its way from East Bridge Street to Ann Street”.

In January, before the old Fermanagh District Council wound down, EBP met with Council Chief Executive Brendan Hegarty seeking clarity on how the new Fermanagh and Omagh super council would affect Enniskillen, in particular, how it would proceed with the public realm scheme. “The answer was, there was no money so please forget about it,” reports Mr. Styles, who owns Mercer’s Jewellers.

EBP’s shortlist of “essential requirements” also includes a southern bypass, the continuation of the A4 bypass to Enniskillen and barrier car parks. Mr. Styles continues: “Following January’s meeting [with Mr. Hegarty] everyone involved in our new super council became very busy with their new job titles and a bigger area, but I worry about how this will affect Enniskillen.” Since then, EBP have had a “very constructive” meeting with Michelle Gildernew and have asked Arlene Foster, MLA to arrange a meeting with the Minister for Social Development Mervyn Storey.

“The Enniskillen Business Partnership is well aware of the lack of central government funds for projects such as ours. As a group we have waited patiently for a further development with our town plan. We have brought the matter up frequently with councillors, Chief Executives and in the Council Chamber,” Mr. Styles comments.

“In the meantime, our tourism industry continues to thrive. Much good work has been done by our hard working team under Tanya Cathcart in Fermanagh Tourism. Our hotels are all of a very high standard, and, having been put in a global spin by the G8, soon we will have the 2017 Irish Open at the Lough Erne Resort. Sadly the four and five star terms cannot be applied to our town centre. The condition and fabric of our main street is very second rate and nobody is willing to do anything about it,” he states.

Mr. Styles and the EBP are concerned that the other principal towns in the new super council and surrounding areas i.e. Omagh, Dungannon, Strabane and Cookstown “have enjoyed different levels of public realm expenditure, they are in good shape and you can see where the money has been spent”.

Twenty-five years as a businessman in the island town, Mr. Styles describes himself as “Enniskillen’s number one fan”. He says that the redevelopment of Queen Elizabeth Road, the Round O upgrade, the Lakeland Forum redevelopment, the lighting of public buildings and the integration of large scale supermarkets are “achievements of a strategy designed to make our town what it is today”.

A passionate Enniskillener, Mr. Styles states: “Whether you are a property owner, business owner, office or shop worker, or a BT74 resident, it is impossible not to feel ownership of such a beautiful town. I consider myself very fortunate to live in Enniskillen. I was born here and would not choose to live anywhere else. I am Enniskillen’s number one fan. It pleases me every time I drive home down Garvary Brae and see the beautiful town nestling between the mountains. I love to see development and I am particularly delighted when government money is well spent.” Mr. Styles concludes: “Enniskillen Business Partnership will continue to ask the questions and lobby on behalf of the members and business people of Enniskillen.”