Council seeks more details on plans for landmark Ballina site
An aerial shot of the former St Mary's Secondary School in Ballina.
A proposal to convert a former Ballina secondary school into an apartment complex has been delayed pending further information.
Mayo County Council has written to the developer CH Care Services Ltd requesting further information on the proposed development at the site of the former St Mary’s Secondary School.
CH Care, a company with a Dublin address, wants to develop the former school into 34 apartments - eight on the lower ground floor and 26 on the upper floor, including two-bed, one-bed and studio apartments. The proposal also includes a ground floor creche, service rooms, mechanical rooms, storage, alterations to the existing internal layout and all ancillary works.
Residents of the nearby Convent Hill made a joint submission opposing the proposed development, signed by 62 residents.
The council has now requested that the developer provide details of how the proposed apartments will comply with planning guidelines related to minimum floor areas and standards for urban-based apartments and to submit proposals for private and public open space in accordance with these guidelines.
It has also requested that the developer engage with Uisce Éireann to assess the feasibility of connection to public water and wastewater infrastructure. The council has further asked for clarity around how many parking spaces will be included at the development and for details of a comprehensive landscaping scheme to serve the development, including public space provision. It noted that this should include details of how the applicant proposes to separate a green area at the south of the site from the grounds of the former Convent of Mercy, which is currently undergoing a community-led regeneration and is not connected with the former school.
In an additional note to the applicant, the council says it is concerned with regard to the scale of the proposal and the ability to comply with relevant national standards for residential developments of this nature and strongly advised the applicant to contact the local authority's planning office prior to its response to the request for further information.
The council informed the applicant that failure to comply with all aspects of the request within a period of six months will result in the planning application being withdrawn. An additional period of three months may be agreed in exceptional cases.
The site has been vacant since September 2022 and was sold privately to CH Care Services Ltd. A sign had been placed on the gate shortly after the sale, detailing plans for a nursing home, but no such planning application has ever been submitted to the council. The premises received a planning exemption for use as an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centre, but the Department of Integration rejected a proposed offer to use the former school to house asylum seekers.
