Council to meet with Minister over proposal to sell St Lucia

A DELEGATION from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is to meet soon with the Infrastructure Minister, John O’Dowd, over plans to sell the historic St Lucia army barracks on the open market.

Councillors and officials from the local authority are due to discuss the issue with Mr O’Dowd in the coming weeks.

It comes after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that it planned to sell the former barracks to the highest bidder. The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) had earlier decided against accepting responsibility for the key core of the site, which has been part of the Omagh landscape for 150 years.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council only found out about the decision to sell in a letter from the DfI’s chief planner. If the sale goes ahead, it could jeopardise plans for the redevelopment of St Lucia, which has been earmarked for an event space, luxury residential accommodation and an interpretative centre.

In a letter requesting a meeting with the Infrastructure Minister, the Council expressed ‘extreme concern’ regarding the proposal to dispose of the St Lucia site.

The council has requested that the Department reverse its decision and puts in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure that the site is protected and developed for the future benefit of the Omagh community.