Full ownership for Omagh community house

OMAGH Community House is to be brought into full public ownership, following a £250k award.

On Wednesday it was announced that the Drumragh Avenue facility was set to receive a total of £259,200, funds which will now be used to purchased parts of the building which were previously rented.

Currently, groups such as Solace, Support 2gether, the Omagh Ethnic Communities’ Support Group and the Omagh Independent Advice Services operate from the local premises.

Chairman of the Community House, John McKinney, explained, “This money is capital – meaning it’s for buying or expanding property – from private ownership to community ownership.

“We’re buying 2,000 square feet of this building that we originally rented.

“When the Community House was first built we only owned 74 per-cent of it, the rest belonged to the original land owners who retained certain areas of the building.”

He added, “We have two units on the ground floor that belong to the private sector, which we are now going to buy out. Currently the space we rent are offices, and after the purchase, we will continue to use them as our own offices. The basement we use will also be bought and we plan to develop it into a more useable space for community purposes.”

Part of the funding granted to Community House will also be used in repairing and rejuvenating the hub which was founded following the Omagh bomb.

Mr McKinney continued, “As part of this funding there is over £40,000 in revenue that we can spend on things that need done. Just imagine, this building is 21-years-old, there’s a good bit of maintenance that needs to be done. We’re going to focus on heating, energy efficient lighting, creating a more accessible entry and we’re going to look about decorating the place.”