Amusement centre hits the jackpot with An Bord Pleanala

An Bord Pleanala has overturned a Mayo County Council decision and granted planning permission for an amusement and entertainment centre in Ballina.

The local authority previously rejected the proposal to change the use of an existing commercial unit at Teeling Street in the town.

“Having regard to the nature and extent of the development as proposed, if granted, would lead to a proliferation of similar type developments on Teeling Street and generally in Ballina town and would seriously injure the amenities or depreciate the value of property in the vicinity, due to increased noise disturbance and general nuisance arising,” stated council planners.

The premises involved is vacant building located on the eastern side of Teeling Street. The building has been vacant for a number of years and was last used as a commercial printers. Immediately to the south of the site is the former Astoria Cinema currently in use as a Men’s Shed. To the north of the site is a service access to the Aldi supermarket which was recently constructed on the site of the former Deanwood Hotel. This service access opens on the Aldi Car park and Teeling Street Public car park. There are a number of mixed uses in the immediate vicinity on Teeling Street including retail, commercial service uses, and residential.

The proposal involved gaming machines and live card games with intended operational hours from 9am – midnight. It is predicted that there will be a maximum of 13 people in the premises at any time.

An Bord Pleanala disagreed with Mayo County Council’s views on the development. The Board stated that it would not lead to a concentration of similar type development in the area and would not impact negatively on the town centre or residential properties.

An Bord Pleanala granted planning permission subject to a number of conditions. These included signage and noise emission stipulations and set opening hours between 9am and 11pm.