A LOCAL estate agent has said the ongoing water infrastructure issues are the root cause of a growing housing crisis across Fermanagh.
With demand outpacing supply, housing prices continue to rise and the key obstacle isn’t a lack of land, but sewerage capacity.
An estate agent with McGovern Estate Agents, Seamus McGovern, pictured below, said, “There is a shortage with housing in Enniskillen practically with new housing. Whilst there is plenty of sown land for development the issue lies with NI Water and the lack of capacity in the sewerage.”
The problem is not isolated, he said, “The issue with NI Water’s capacity is not just in Enniskillen, it’s in all different parts of the province and speaking with agents from all over the country, it seems like a wider issue.”
The pressure is growing, with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council reporting 2,296 applicants on the social housing waiting list as of March 2025.
Although social housing isn’t McGovern Estate Agents’ focus, the issue still impacts developments, he said, “In the Fermanagh and Omagh area, the local development plan 2030 requires that at least 10 percent of residential developments of 10 or more units or on sites of 0.5 or more be affordable housing which includes social housing.”
However, most new projects face a critical hurdle.
“There are very few recent cases that will be accepted by NI Water,” McGovern noted.
“We have sites for sale that have planning permission but they don’t have the go ahead with NI Water.”
Until investment is made to upgrade infrastructure, development is at a standstill.
He said,“The solution is upgrading the sewerage but that is going to take quite a bit of money and quite a bit of time. I just don’t know if money is there at the moment or not.”
Mr McGovern concluded, “It’s all down to supply and demand and if there is no supply the demand is getting greater.”