Plans for a 56-home development in Fintona have been recommended for refusal by council planning officers.

The proposal, lodged in 2023, seeks to build 31 detached houses, 24 semi-detached homes, one townhouse and 20 domestic garages on agricultural land opposite Denamona Primary School, at the junction of Craigavon Road and Tattyreagh Road.

Officials say the site is not zoned for housing and the applicant has not demonstrated an unmet need that cannot be met by building on appropriately zoned land. The report states that approval would go against the local development plan’s policies.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s planning committee will have the final say when it meets. If councillors grant permission, they must notify the Department for Infrastructure because the decision would significantly undermine the area’s development strategy.