‘Transfer of land’ could be key to solving school parking issues

THE transfer of council land near St Conor’s PS, Omagh, for use as a car park may be the long-term solution needed to solve the ongoing problems of traffic congestion at the school, it has been discussed.

Speaking at tonight’s monthly meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, council chair Barry McElduff said that council were ‘willing to be generous in respect of helping with the transfer of land‘ at Todd’s Field in relation to the problem.

Citing that the matter needed to be ‘solved once and for all’, the council chair further called for a full round table with the Department of infrastructure; the Education Authority; the Department for Education; the PSNI; members of the St Conor’s PS community, residents of the area and councillors.

For many years, there have been concerns about the daily congestion around St Conor’s Primary School at Brookmount Road.

Cllr McElduff’s motion follows a new development, of which Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said any form of parking restriction on a public road requires legislation, advertisement and public consultation, which ‘may take some time to implement’.

Both Omagh Independent councillor Jo Deehan and Omagh Alliance councillor Stephen Donnelly expressed concerns about this at tonight’s meeting, stating that the issue has already been ongoing for far too long.

‘Dragged out’

“St Conor’s are doing everything reasonably within their power to mitigate the risks, but I have no doubt that risks still exist,” she said. “In terms of the changes to the parking arrangements with double yellow lines, my fear is that this would be dragged out for quite a long time.

“I would ask if there is anything more this council can do to try to expedite the transfer of land from the council for the purposes of parking at Todd’s Field?”

Cllr Stephen Donnelly said that a long-term solution, implemented quickly, is the safest and most viable option.

“The school has reached the position where it can do no more in terms of resources,” he said. “Ultimately, we are in the same position that we have been for quite some time. The only way we can make sure that this stretch of road outside St Conor’s is made safe is by a long-term solution.“

‘Willing to be generous’

In response, Cllr McElduff said that a round table meeting with all stakeholders was necessary.

“I personally think we should reconvene with the stakeholder group in a round table meeting,” he said. “I understood that yellow lines would be in place – and then was advised that that is a fairly onerous process of consultations.

“We need a meeting where Clare Brady [Department of Education] is present, where the residents are present, the school is present and where the Department for Infrastructure’s roads management people are present.

“The council is willing to be generous in respect of helping with the transfer of land to once and for all come to a solution.

“We have to get to the bottom of this – and get this over and done with,” he concluded.