Negotiations to agree the sale of the site of Grosvenor Barracks, just off the Sligo Road in Enniskillen are nearing completion.

The site is being bought by the Department of Social Development who have indicated they intend to use the area for residential use.

The sale of the 0.861 hectare site is expected to be completed in April this year, and development work should start soon after this.

The move will help ease the increasing pressure of people looking to live in the county town.

'NORMALISATION'

The disposal of the Enniskillen base comes as part of a 'normalisation' plan for military sites in Northern Ireland announced by the then Armed Forces Minister, Adam Ingram.

The process will see the number of sites owned and run by the Ministry of Defence drop from a high of 106 in the 1970's to just 10.

Deployment peaked at the height of the Troubles between 1972 and 1973 when around 26,000 troops patrolled the streets from 106 locations.

Before its' closure, Grosvenor Barracks was predominantly used by both part-time and full-time UDR and RIR soldiers, particularly in supporting the 4th Royal Irish Battalion.