Necarne Estate: Irvinestown site to be leased to development firm

A proposal to develop a historic estate in County Fermanagh for tourism and leisure has been approved by councillors.

The 230-acre Necarne Estate in Irvinestown is owned by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

The estate features a castle, an indoor equestrian arena, stables and cross-country course.

Councillors approved a 99-year lease with a firm to develop a "multi-purpose tourism and leisure destination".

The plan includes a range of accommodation and outdoor activities.

Although the terms of the lease have been approved by councillors, the developer will need to secure the relevant planning approval for the plans.

The council will also remain responsible for the care and upkeep of the Grade B listed Necarne Castle which is on the Built Heritage at Risk Register.

The council said it it is investigating how much money is required in order to maintain the castle.

The 17th Century castle was the home of the D'arcy-Irvine family and is described as "one of the finest examples of Gothic revival architecture in Ireland" but has suffered from years of neglect.

The council has a long-term ambition "to redevelop the castle for wider community benefit and to that of the local heritage" but there are no details of how much this would cost.

The proposal by Gardrum Holdings Ltd is to create a holiday retreat with a range of accommodation, outdoor activities, enhanced walkways and cycle paths, an equestrian trail, events space and reinstatement of Necarne lake.

It also allows for the potential development of a multi-sports centre.

The plans are opposed by Dianne Little, who formed the Saving Necarne campaign group.

"They are giving it on a 99-year lease to the developer but they will not say how much the liability is coming onto the ratepayers," Ms Little said.

"They are going to put the bill on the ratepayers for the maintaining, the stabilisation of this castle.

"The reality is it's going to be millions," she said.

Ms Little believes Necarne is a public asset which should not be given to a private company for profit, but should be used to meet the health needs of the local community.

The Necarne Estate is used by local people for recreation, as well as hosting running events and horse trials.

Local resident Margaret Maguire is concerned whether people will be able to continue to use the estate once it is taken over by a private company.

"It would just be a sin if it is closed off," she said.

The council has insisted free public access will continue for walking, cycling, horse riding and dog walking, although that may be restricted during certain events.

After buying the estate in 1987, the council spent £4m developing world-class equestrian facilities.

They include a 300-seat indoor arena, 80 stables, 16 bedrooms, two dressage arenas, and courses for cross-country, point-to-point and steeplechase.

Necarne was leased to the Department of Agriculture (DAERA) but the equestrian centre has been unused since 2012 when equine courses were moved to the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) in Enniskillen.

DAERA has continued to pay maintenance costs of up to £100,000 a year to maintain the facilities as there was no early opt-out clause on its 25-year lease which runs to 2023.

Another local resident, Janet Balfour believes better use could have been made of the centre.

"The equestrian facilities here are second to none," she said," but they've just been left and they're going downhill.

"There's all these facilities, the walled garden, the indoor arena, stables, just sitting here doing nothing - really disintegrating which is so sad when it's here on our doorstep."

The council said it wanted to find a long-term sustainable use "for this beautiful yet under-utilised estate that will bring social, economic and environmental benefits to the Irvinestown community and the wider district".

"The proposal has the potential to transform the estate into one which, through substantial private investment, attracts employment and visitors and preserves and enhances the heritage and natural environment to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike," it said.