DESPITE the owner of the Railway Hotel in Enniskillen claiming he still has future plans for the derelict building, a second fire in the property last week may have seen these designs all go up in smoke.
Local businessman David Mahon, who owns the historic site, said he was “shocked” at the suspected arson attack, which followed an earlier blaze in the same building in March last year.
Mr Mahon, the Grand Master of the Co Donegal Grand Orange Lodge, told The Irish News that there were advanced plans to knock down the building and build apartments on the site.
However, previous assurances that there were proposals in place for the derelict building have not materialised.
In March 2023, a fire was started deliberately in the building amid other instances of anti-social behaviour reportedly taking place within the property.
Enniskillen residents voiced fears that worse incidents could take place the longer the building stayed vacant, but Mr Mahon – a director of Union Arch Properties, established in 1998 and which owns commercial retail interests worth more than £4.6m – confirmed it was for up redevelopment.
“We are hoping to get planning permission passed for it fairly soon, so we can get it demolished and redeveloped,” Mr Mahon told the Herald at the time.
“For the time being all we can do is keep the place sealed up before we get planning permission for it and start on a new build.
“It’s early days yet what exactly the new building will be. We have to get the planning permission through first.”
In August 2023, the Enniskillen landmark was back on the market, but for a cool £750,000. It was advertised on PropertyPal.com as a proposed hotel or B&B with 20 bedrooms.
“We already have a few interested parties for the building and we are hoping to get planning permission passed for it fairly soon,” Mr Mahon told the Herald regarding the sale.
More than a year later though, the property was still lying vacant when it fell victim to another suspected arson attack in the early hours of last Wednesday morning.
More than 40 firefighters and nine appliances tackled the blaze at the Forthill Street property. Part of the hotel’s roof collapsed during the blaze and first and second floor rooms were seen on fire.
The renowned property has been derelict since the hotel closed its doors in 2013.
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