A Stormont department spent £40,000 in the last financial year on providing round-the-clock security at a derelict army barracks in Co Tyrone.
The Department for Infrastructure owns part of the St Lucia Barracks site in Omagh and paid private security company G4S £39,552 last year to provide 24/7 security at the site.
There are currently no plans in place for the 15 acre site’s development, despite it sitting idle since it was gifted to the NI Executive in 2010 under the Hillsborough Agreement.
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A Freedom of Information request to the Stormont department from Belfast Live found that G4S provides security personnel at St Lucia 24 hours a day.
It insists the spending is necessary given the ‘nature, location and condition’ of the vacant site.
“DfI owns approximately 15.7 acres of residential and undeveloped land at St Lucia, which includes 44 military houses, a gymnasium /community building and a number of other ancillary buildings,” a DfI spokesperson said.
“Given the nature, location and condition of the site and buildings the Department is cognisant of providing the proper level of security. Security arrangements at the site are kept under review.
“St Lucia site is a vacant site and there have been several instances of unauthorised access to the site.
“DfI is responsible should anyone at the site be injured and the security presence helps prevent unauthorised access and reports any damage which could cause accidents.”
The listed buildings and parade ground at the former army barracks remain under the ownership of the Ministry of Defence, and an MoD spokesperson confirmed it had no security arrangements in place at the site.
Last month Infrastructure minister John O’Dowd visited the St Lucia site and said it was ‘a prime site with huge potential for regeneration.’
“My officials are continuing to engage with key stakeholders around its future,” Minister O’Dowd said on the visit.
“I would like to see the site developed for the benefit of the local community and the local economy.”
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