Fermanagh and Omagh Transport Plan 2035

The Transport plans, by contrast, are more localised and delivery focused.  They deal with how the strategy will be implemented on the ground identifying specific measures and setting out how and where these will be delivered. 

The Department is currently preparing a new Transport Plan for the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) area called the Fermanagh and Omagh Sub Regional Transport Plan 2035 (FO SRTP). The FO SRTP will cover local transport issues (active travel, public transport, the local road network and parking etc) and will set the framework for transport policy and investment decisions up until 2035. The FO SRTP will provide most detail on the towns of Omagh and Enniskillen. It will also consider local transport issues across the district, where appropriate.

Introduction

The FO SRTP will focus on improving the sustainability of the local transport system by supporting people to choose the most sustainable mode of travel for their journey and aims to ensure that the transport network meets the needs of the people and businesses living, working and visiting FODC.

The FO SRTP will complement FODC’s Local Development Plan through the integration of transportation and land-use decisions.

The future development of the Regional Strategic Transport Network is not considered as part of the Fermanagh and Omagh Sub Regional Transport Plan. This includes strategic roads such as the A5 and the railway network. These will be considered separately as part of the Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan 2035, which is being prepared in parallel. The FO SRTP also does not consider Community Transport or Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. These matters are being considered separately by the Department at a regional level and will be integrated as appropriate into the Transport Plan.

Developing the Transport Plan

The FO SRTP is being prepared through a ‘vision and validate’ approach. The approach shifts the focus to creating places for people, built around a healthy, safe and carbon neutral vision for the future. This starts with an agreed vision of what we are trying to achieve and then checks if the future transport networks will assist in its delivery. The Transport plan is being developed with the support of the consultants Aecom, officers from FODC, a representative from Translink, and officials from the Department for Communities and DfI Roads - Western Division Office.

The Transport Plan is being prepared in 6 stages. These are:

• Stage 1 involved collecting evidence and developing a draft vision and objectives. This stage included public engagement.
• Stage 2 is the identification and assessment of various transport options that could be included within the Transport Plan.
• Stage 3 involves the refinement of the various transport options.
• Stage 4 will involve public consultation of the draft Transport Plan and the associated assessments.
• Stage 5 will involve the consideration of the consultation responses and the publication of the final Transport Plan.
• Stage 6 is the monitoring and evaluation of the Transport Plan

 

As part of Stage 1 a public engagement exercise was held from the 11 January 2024 to the 09 February 2024. The Stage 1 Engagement Report can be viewed on the Department’s Website.

Integrated Sustainability Appraisal and Supporting Evidence

Part of the preparation of the FO SRTP is an Integrated Sustainability Appraisal (ISA). This will include a Strategic Environmental Assessment under The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004. The ISA will assess the environmental impacts of the FO SRTP, including from Greenhouse Gas Emissions. It will also support the Rural Proofing and Equality Screening of the Transport Plan.

A Scoping Report has been prepared as part of the ISA. The purpose of the Scoping Report is to provide the context for, and determine the scope of, the ISA and to set out the framework for undertaking the later stages of the ISA. The ISA Scoping Report, alongside other supporting documents are available on the Departments website.

Next steps and timescales

The plan is currently at a technical stage in the development process, with work ongoing to draft the plan. The draft plan will include a refined set of multi‑modal transport measures aligned with the agreed vision and objectives.

The Department is using the baseline evidence collected, together with feedback from the engagement exercise and targeted engagement with specific stakeholders, to inform the preparation of the Fermanagh and Omagh Sub Regional Transport Plan (FO SRTP). Consultation on the draft FO SRTP is anticipated to commence in late 2026.