Major tourism project is set to transform popular destination
Enniscrone is one of the best-loved beaches in the West of Ireland and the new project will greatly enhance it as a tourism destination. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Planning permission has been granted for the development of a project that will transform Enniscrone.
Sligo County Council has given the green light to the Enniscrone and District Community Development Company for the reimagining of the town’s Cliff Walk Promenade, which will transform the way the town looks.
The Enniscrone Cliff Bath House, Pavilion and Promenade project proposal involves three phases, including the redevelopment of the Cliff Bath House, the replacement of the Pavilion Building in the Hollows with a contemporary building, and the provision of a significant public realm landscaping along the Cliff Walk, linking the two key buildings.
A seaside sauna and therapy centre are proposed as an appropriate use for the historic Cliff Bath House to ensure its heritage is protected into the future and to enhance the already existing seaweed baths nearby.
The proposal is to carry out minimum changes to the historic structure by occupying the rooms with dry saunas, therapy and relaxation rooms which can operate without the need for major intervention. One of the 19th-century arched ceiling rooms will be conserved as a visitor’s museum.
The new pavilion has been designed to carefully sit into the hillside below street level. It is organised on three levels with a roof terrace for gatherings and performances, a mid-level café with views of Enniscrone’s beach, Killala Bay and the north Mayo coastline, with the third level featuring a flexible community space under a covered external entrance space which is expected to be used for community activities such as yoga and public meetings.
The new public realm design provides multiple accessible routes, new connections, sheltered spaces, viewpoints, play spaces and gathering places to rest and enjoy the marine landscape surrounding Enniscrone.
The design team, led by Dorman Architects with NOJI Architects, is delighted the project has now been given the green light.
“This new exciting public realm will not only shape the way the town looks, it will have a profound impact on how and where people meet, walk, exercise, play, discover and interact with nature," they said.
