A COUPLE who are residents of The Limes, Enniskillen have raised their concerns that a proposed major housing development that will border their property has not been “adequately publicised” to the local community.

The planning application for the proposed housing development states that it will comprise 210 dwellings, which will include 51 detached houses, 88 semi-detached houses, 17 townhouses and 54 apartments, by the Rossorry Church Road, Drumlyon and Coles Hill Enniskillen (200m east of No. 123 Rossorry Church Road).

The local residents, who wish to remain anonymous, spoke to The Impartial Reporter this week after receiving a letter from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Planning Office on January 7 notifying them of the planning application for the housing development.

In the letter, they were advised that any comments they wished to make would need to be submitted in writing to the Council by January 20.

The couple said they were “shocked” to receive notice of a planning application for the building of 210 homes in the fields at the back of their house.

They explained that after looking into the details of the planning application, they were further shocked to find that a public consultation, as required in the case of major development, had taken place in October, 2016.

“This meeting was very poorly attended, not through lack of interest, but purely because it had not been adequately publicised, especially considering the scale of the proposals,” they said, adding: “Notably absent were all the residents of The Limes whose homes would be the most impacted by the plans.

“Yes, it was advertised in the local press – the minimum [notice] required for a public consultation – but this should be only one in a range of methods of reaching the community in our digital age, especially when such a major development is under discussion.”

The couple believe that the outcomes of this consultation would now be “out of date and no longer relevant” due to the ongoing developments in that part of Enniskillen since 2016.

“It is extremely disappointing that a greater effort wasn’t made to engage with the community on this matter. We believe there should have been a recent and therefore relevant public consultation, with appropriate notice given,” said the couple.

They added that they believe that many people in the west end of the town would be affected by the building of a housing development of that size, “not least by even more congestion of traffic going in and out of town”.

“Despite this, the only people who have been informed are those whose homes would border the proposed development. Whilst we have been invited by the Council to make any relevant representations, there is a mountain of documents to read in order to make an informed case, and less than two weeks to do it.

“Through [The Impartial Reporter], we just want to make people aware how widely the impact of this is going to be felt, and we wonder how many people even knew anything about it?” said the local residents.

This newspaper contacted the Council to ask if, due to current lockdown restrictions, the deadline for public consultation comment of January 20 would be extended.

In response, a Council spokesman said: “Whilst the neighbour notification letters state that representations must be submitted within 14 days, in practice they can be submitted right up until the decision notice has issued, and will be taken into account.

“The 14-day period of time is to ensure any representations are submitted and considered early in the process,” he said, noting that all documents relating to this planning application can be viewed online on the Public Access System by searching using the application reference number.

He added: “Planning Officers can also be contacted by telephone or email, and can assist with any queries.”

Responding to a question posed by this newspaper regarding the couple’s concerns of potential traffic congestion and infrastructural issues that could result from a new housing development in that part of Enniskillen, the Council spokesman said: “The Council will consult with statutory consultees for expert advice on a range of issues to inform its decision.

“This will include consultation with the Department for Infrastructure seeking their comments on any likely impacts upon the local road network and infrastructure, including any impact upon any nearby bridges, etc.

“There is no requirement for another pre-application community consultation event to be held by the applicant.

“Any new developments in this area will be taken into account in the planning application,” said the Council spokesman.