KNOWN to many locally as ‘the Tech’, the site of the former Fairview South West College campus in Enniskillen has been officially put up for sale by leading property agents, Lisney.
The former college site has been vacant since July 2021, following the final relocation to the new South West College Erne Campus on Cornagrade Road, Enniskillen.
Since its opening in September 1971, Enniskillen Technical College was known as an iconic feature, that transformed the Enniskillen skyline. Although many of the buildings and communities surrounding it have witnessed dramatic changes, the building has been a constant focal point for the county town.
“Sites such as this are in demand due to the location, size and redevelopment possibilities, and as such, we anticipate strong levels of interest in this opportunity,” Lisney director, Andrew Gawley, said.
“The vast scale of this site lends itself to various uses including a hotel, retail, office, leisure or residential – all subject to planning permission.”
Lisney described it as a prominent 3.4-acre site located within Enniskillen town centre, with its size presenting a unique opportunity for prospective buyers.
As well as the former college, the large site comprises several existing buildings, extending to 125,000 sq ft, including a former jail and library (both of which are Listed buildings).
Estate agent Niall Smyth, of Smyth Leslie and Co, in Enniskillen, believes the buyer could easily transform it into a mixture of commercial and residential properties.
“For it to be a successful development, it would have to be a mixed-use development. It’s the most prominent site in the town, so whatever is constructed on it is going to have a major influence on what happens in the town centre,” Mr Smyth said.
“You could be looking at apartments to one side of the development. There’s also potential for a hotel development there because of its central location and parking facilities.”
Mr Smyth said it could be redeveloped in the same way as the old Post Office site in Townhall Street, which is now a Sports Direct shop, with an Iceland store at the back and apartments above it.
“The college building itself is one of the tallest buildings in the town, so it’s an iconic building. It’ll depend whether it is still fit for purpose,” Mr Smyth explained.
“It could well be the case the new buyer could do what they did with the Erne Hospital, and have the building removed to try to accommodate new buildings on the site.”
The former Fairview site also benefits from good access to public transport links and is near all local amenities, schools and healthcare facilities.
“This site is located in a highly sought-after area making it an attractive proposition for various parties such as investors and developers,” Carol Viney of South West College said.
“A site of this size provides limitless potential for a redevelopment project and we look forward to seeing what is in store for the future of this local landmark.”
The asking price is on application from Lisney.
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