THE head coach of the Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club has raised questions about the future of the club due to the redevelopment of the Lakeland Forum.

Ben Wiffen (pictured right) has claimed the closure of the Forum when it undergoes redevelopment could see the club – which has been around for more than 40 years and has 150 swimmers – fold as there is no alternative venue for members to train in.

On Wednesday, September 20, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Planning Committee approved the plans for the redevelopment of the waterside leisure centre.

The ambitious redevelopment plan – which was awarded £20m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund earlier this year – includes a new leisure building, designed to Passivhaus standards to ensure environmental sustainability, with cutting-edge sports amenities including a new eight-lane swimming pool, separate learner pool and splash pad area for young children and gym facilities.

It also includes versatile community and multi-purpose spaces for health partners and others, with dedicated areas for health and wellness activities.

Outdoors, the proposal includes a destination playpark and urban sports park; a replacement 3G sports pitch; new walkways and trails and the development of an active waterfront area and improved pedestrian linkages to Enniskillen town centre.

The proposed redevelopment will be designed to complement and enhance the natural and historical landscape and increase biodiversity.

The design stage of the redevelopment proposal is ongoing. It is anticipated that the full business case for the project will be presented to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council for approval in mid-2024 when a decision on the investment will be made.

However, while the redevelopment takes place, the Forum will close down.

Mr. Wiffen has criticised the Council for the way it has handled information around the redevelopment and added that offering Omagh Leisure Centre as an alternative swimming pool was “just to tick a box”.

A Council spokesperson said there were no “undertakings or commitments” given to the Lakelanders or discussions around relocation.

“Club representatives indicated they would have some concerns regarding the impacts of the closure associated with the proposed redevelopment and officers have had initial discussions with them on how the Council could provide support during the period.

“Officers advised of their willingness to continue to work with the club during the finalisation of the Full Business Case for the project,” they added.

“It feels very underhand,” said Mr. Wiffen. “The way the Council have done it, I think they’ve kept everything very low key and quiet on purpose to cause the least amount of kickback from the public.

“I don’t think people actually realise that when the centre closes, nothing is going to be there and provided for leisure for anyone.

“I think people just think the Forum is going to close and they’re going to build a brand new Forum. That’s great. And that’s the angle the Council has gone down. But what they haven’t told people is that there will be no leisure facility for three years.”

This closure for the redevelopment will have an impact on all users of the Lakeland Forum but Mr. Wiffen believes it could spell the end of the Lakelanders as a club.

“The swimming club will likely have to fold. It affects a lot of other people as well. But just from the swimming club point of view, these kids that have given up a lot of other sports to commit to swimming over a number of years, they’re just going to have that taken away from them.

“When the Forum reopens in three, four years time, whenever it is, there still won’t be a place for Enniskillen swimming club because we won’t have had a pool for three years.

“So there will have been no swimming club for three years, which means that you’re going to have to start a swimming club from scratch, pretty much.”

Mr. Wiffen believes the loss of experienced members and volunteers due to the closure will make it hard to restart the club when the Forum reopens.

There are swimming pools in Omagh, Fivemiletown and Ballyshannon but Mr. Wiffen said these are not viable alternatives as they have their own swimming clubs and lessons already.

The closure of the Forum, Mr. Wiffen concluded, could see some swimmers fail to reach their potential like those who have gone before such as Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist Ellie McCartney: “If the pool were closed, then they would likely drop out of the sport and who knows where they could go to. You’re potentially taking away the pathway for someone to make an Olympics team or a World Championships team,” he said.