ONE of the key public realm opportunities identified in the Enniskillen Town Centre Masterplan related to the Buttermarket, and its adjoining open space.

The Masterplan said that the Buttermarket offers an opportunity to create a "hub of complementary uses and activities", focused on "local produce, local arts and crafts and tourism".

The proposal even envisaged a multi-story car park that could be used to accommodate users of The Buttermarket. 

However, 12-years-on, and while the Buttermarket remains a heavily-used and much-loved local space, plans for the multifunctional public space have not came to pass. 

At the time, the Masterplan read: "By creating a new, multifunctional public space, specialist markets could be held, adding to the interest and vitality of the town centre.

"Parking provision would also be made and would occupy the space, as a rule, except on those days when events are planned.

"The existing commercial site, opposite, might also be developed partly for uses that complement the Buttermarket and partly for parking (perhaps in a multi-storey car park).

The Masterplan Enniskillen does not have a traditional market square, but the car park located to the south of the Buttermarket (at the junction of Down Street, Market Street and Cross Street) has the potential to become an important public space.

"Its location, immediately to the north of the main thoroughfare (specifically, the Diamond and the Town Hall), further enhances the potential of the space, making it a linking space between two of the more important destinations in the town centre."

The Masterplan also recommended parking bays marked out with granite setts, which would promote a  "shared surface in an historic town centre".