THE 228 ACRE NECARNE estate remains on the market, with the council yet to find anyone willing to take on the lease.
After testing the market for the sale or lease of Necarne for over 18 months from January 2013 to August 31 2014 without success, the new council has appealed yet again for prospective suitors to come forward.
The matter was brought to June’s regeneration and community committee meeting where it was stated in a report the council wishes to seek “expressions of Interest” for the lease of the Necarne Estate.
The council “wishes the Necarne Estate to act as an economic driver for Irvinestown and Fermanagh and Omagh District” and any proposal should according to the report contribute to the development and maintenance of the estate.
In the report it states the council would prefer to lease the entire estate, including buildings as one lot, but partial lots would be considered. Any ‘expressions of Interest’ “should include a business plan and proposed departmental plan for the site”.
At present Necarne Estate is owned by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and is leased to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on a 25-year lease, which started in 1998. This lease excludes Necarne Castle which is in need of restoration and has been retained by the council.
The department used Necarne Estate to assist the Enniskillen College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) to deliver courses in equestrianism, but the Agricultural College no longer needs the Necarne Estate to deliver its courses as over the past years, it has constructed the necessary facilities on the campus site in Enniskillen. Subsequently the department has requested to be released from the lease.
In addition to the extensive equine facilities the site features approximately 150 acres of grassland, along with 30 acres of mature woodland.
There is also accommodation in the form of a single storey gate lodge, a traditional two storey garden house with four bedrooms as well as residential accommodation featuring 16 double ensuite rooms. The site is used annually for the point to point races and is a popular route for walkers in the locality.
A council spokesman confirmed that there are still a number of years to run on DARD’s lease on the Necarne Estate and that a “number of parties have expressed an interest”.
“The Council is currently considering asking for further Expressions of Interest for the leasing of Necarne Estate. The market will decide on the lease premium. “The rates on Necarne Estate are in the region of £40,000 per annum.”
To read more.. Subscribe to current edition
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere