Plans revealed for landmark Mayo hotel project
Plans have been revealed for a hotel and conference facilities on a 'gateway' site off the N5 in Mayo.
A Galway-based company, trading as Primbrook Investments Limited, has unveiled its proposals for a landmark site opposite the busy Mulroy's roundabout at Moneenbradagh in Castlebar.
The firm retained local firm, The Planning Partnership, based at McHale Retail Park in the town, to make a submission to Mayo County Council in respect of its property for consideration as part of the new Castlebar Town & Environs Local Area Plan (LAP).
It revealed the lands relate to the balance of the N5 Business Park, which has not been constructed to date.
The submission elaborated: “The lands are intended to be developed for a substantial and varied mix of uses, anchored by a hotel with conference facilities.
“Our client request that the forthcoming LAP make adequate provision to ensure that landmark/gateway projects and sites such as this are encouraged and facilitated by various policies and objectives, for instance in relation to tourism, employment and transportation and particularly the zoning of the site.
“Business tourism is a growing and important sector in Ireland and one that can provide year round expenditure to the local area.”
The submission requests that the following policy and objective be included in the plan:
“Promote the development of Castlebar as a nationally important events, conference and business tourism hub, including through leveraging existing local assets such as Breaffy House Resort, the Royal Theatre and the Castlebar Regional Training Centre, and expanding the scale and capacity of hotel and other accommodation within the town.”
The site in question is currently zoned for enterprise and employment development and the submission has requested that a more appropriate zoning objective be considered 'which reflects the particular potential of the site in terms of delivering a significant mixed use scheme for the town'.
“Furthermore,” the submission concluded, “provision should be made for the forthcoming update of the urban sections of the existing N5 to ensure that environmental and urban realm opportunities for Castlebar are realised.”