FOLLOWING months of disputes and protest over the blocking of public access in Ports Road, Newtownbutler to Lough Erne, and an investigation into the matter by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, the Council has come to the decision to assert the route as a public right of way.

There was anger in the local community when the foreshore to the lough was blocked by gates and boulders, with residents holding numerous protests calling for the area to be left back the way it was.

The quay was used to launch boats, fishing, water sports and to bring animals back from islands on the lough, but since the erection of the fence, all such activity stopped.

Rumours of drug dealing on the shore were rubbished by locals, who said the road had been “illegally obstructed”.

But it seems there is an end to the saga in sight after the Council confirmed the decision to assert the route as a pedestrian Public Right of Way.

“Following an investigation into the alleged Public Right of Way at Ports Road, Newtownbutler,” a Council spokesperson said, “the Council, at the meeting of the Regeneration and Community Committee on January 18, adopted the recommendation to assert the route as a pedestrian Public Right of Way.”

The latest news is seen as a “very significant development” in the dispute which has been ongoing since autumn, 2020, and has seen protests and tension in the area between groups, which resulted in the PSNI becoming involved.

Reacting to the news of the Council recommendation, Jim Cripps, who lives on Ports Road, said: “Fantastic news, I will be able to get my wee boat back on the water at Ports.”

Marie Mohan said she purchased a house on Ports Road in 2020 and was “delighted with news that Ports Road access to Lough Erne foreshore has been confirmed as a Public Right of Way by the Council”.

She added: “The area needs to be cleaned up and the site developed for use by the whole community.”

Residents are now awaiting the next steps to ensure the barriers on Ports Road are removed and access to the water restored.

The Department of Infrastructure’s (DoI) Roads Service has have been contacted to request the removal of obstructions from the public road, and the community is awaiting a response.

When contacted about whether it would be removing the barriers from Ports Road, a DoI spokesperson said: “The Department is currently considering whether the blockage, on the public Right Of Way to be asserted by the Council, is on the public road network, and is continuing to engage with the parties involved.”