Refusal of Mayo hotel function room conversion to residential use appealed

THE decision of Mayo County Council to refuse permission for a hotel function room to be converted into extra bedroom space has been appealed.

The proposal in respect of The Dolphin Hotel in Crossmolina was the subject of a number of local objections.

Concerns centred on the permanent loss of the town’s only hotel facility, the impact on tourism, traffic congestion and parking shortages, and what many described as an over-concentration of homeless accommodation in a small rural town.

Pat Mulhern Civil Engineering (Ireland) Ltd. had sought retention permission to change the use of the hotel’s single-storey function room at the rear of the premises from commercial use to social and residential accommodation, adding 10 bedrooms to the existing 10 on site. The plans also included internal alterations and changes to an alleyway elevation.

Council planners issued a refusal, saying the development would constitute an over-development of the site, resulting in substandard accommodation, and also citing insufficient parking and traffic safety concerns.

The applicant has now lodged an appeal against that decision with An Coimisiún Pleanála.