CLEARING work has begun on the site of the old Unipork factory in Enniskillen to prepare the way for the construction of the keenly-awaited Lakelands Retail and Leisure Park.
As can be seen from our drone footage, preparation work is well undeway at the site off the Cornagrade and Irvinestown roads in the county town. It is understood developers will be setting out a timeline for its construction early in the new year.
After three years in the planning process, including several delays, the £15.5 million Cornagrade Road project was finally given the green light by the Council earlier this year.
Plans for the complex include a cinema, bowling alley, hotel, coffee shops and retail outlets, with big name brands such as The Range and Tim Hortons already signed up.
The development itself is being constructed by Elm Grange, which is headed by the Curran family from Tyrone, while the cinema and movie complex outlet is being brought to Fermanagh by the Simpson family from Donegal, who are the owners of the Brunswick Moviebowl in Derry, and are known as being good and fair employers in their local area.
While the majority of the general public are enthusiastically behind the project, believing it will keep both shoppers in the town and bring shoppers to the town, many in the Enniskillen business community were opposed to the application being granted, arguing it will take people out of the town centre.
Speaking in June a spokesman for Elm Grange said they were working hard on the project and were “raring to go.” The spokesman explained work was continuing in the background on the project.
“Our dedicated team is working on building control applications, water and drainage designs, electric and lighting designs, tenancy agreements – the list goes on,” they said.
They added, “As you can appreciate, it was a long road to get this far and we want to maximise the potential of the project to the fullest. As soon as humanly possible, we will be on site and raring to go.”
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